


and suddenly you're mine

by topangamatthews



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Teen Romance, literally just mike and el being the cutest couple and annoying everyone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2018-11-29 06:51:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11435454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/topangamatthews/pseuds/topangamatthews
Summary: There is nothing stranger than dating in high school. (A collection of one-shots of Mike and Eleven through their high school years, hand in hand)





	1. homecoming dances are strange

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [i'm not gonna teach your boyfriend how to dance with you](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10935756) by [topangamatthews](https://archiveofourown.org/users/topangamatthews/pseuds/topangamatthews). 



> all of these are set after the events that happened in “i’m not gonna teach your boyfriend how to dance with you” but you don't have to read it before reading these. (all though i’d really appreciate it if you did.)

**November 1, 1984**

“Mike?” 

He stopped rubbing at her face with the wet towel to look in her eyes. She had only been back for less than an hour, back from the place she didn't want to talk about, back to him. El had been bombarded with attention from the rest of the guys and the adults and now, finally, Mike was alone with El.

His mom had asked him to take her downstairs to the basement so that she could wash her face and change into some clean pajamas that were on top of the dryer.

They hadn't spoken to each other past the “I missed you” in between broken sobs when they had reunited. There was an almost awkward tension that hung in the air in the small vicinity of the bathroom as Mike and El faced each other and he helped clean her up with gentle strokes.

“Mike” was now the first thing she had told him, her voice barely above a whisper. He raised his eyebrow and bit the inside of his cheek in response.

“Did I miss the snowball?”

He put the towel down on the sink, looking away from her as he answered. “Yeah.”

She was quiet, and he was still looking down, fiddling with the towel to avoid her gaze. Then she whimpered and he looked up to see her eyes were filled with tears. “I'm sorry.”

“No. No, El,” he told her softly, trying to get her to stop crying and stepping towards her and cupping her face in his hands. “What are you sorry for?”

“I wasn't here to go with you.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him until she moved her arms to her neck, her face against his shoulder.

“You saved my life, El. You sacrificed yourself.” He heard her sniffle and he squeezed her in reassurance, pulling back to look at her. “We can go to the dance this year.”

“Promise?”

* * *

**  
October 4, 1986**

“El, come on! You've been in there for thirty minutes!”

Mike sat against the wall, impatiently waiting outside the door of the hallway bathroom for El to come out. When they had made their way from outside, she had rushed from her room to get her things and into the bathroom to get ready. She had told him it would only take fifteen minutes, but now it had been double what she estimated.

“Maybe if _someone_ would have asked me out when they were supposed to, _someone_ wouldn't be in such a rush.”

She put extra emphasis on “someone” as she yelled her response through the wall, making him roll his eyes and smile despite himself. He heard more shuffling as he leaned his head back against the wall, followed by the sound of something fall on the floor and El cursing.

“You know you look beautiful no matter what you wear or how your hair looks.”

“You have to say that, you're my boyfriend.”

He blushed a deep scarlet, happy that she couldn't see his reaction to hearing her call him her boyfriend. It had only been less than an hour that she had accepted that as his official title to her, and hearing her say it out loud for the first time made his stomach flutter. He was about to say something in response to that, about how he had always thought she was beautiful, but he was interrupted when he heard the bathroom door creak open.

And then all the words that he was about to say, his entire vocabulary, went out of his head as he looked up at his girlfriend. He was stunned.

Her dress was strapless, a red satin bodice that made way to a skirt of red lacy ruffles that hit right at the knee. She had tied her loose curls up into a high ponytail and applied red lipstick and some light eye makeup, leaving her pretty face in focus. The shoes she were wearing were black heels that made it look like her legs went on for miles.

Mike had to hold on to the wall as he stumbled up to his feet, still speechless and only capable of staring at his girlfriend. She was so gorgeous, he didn't want to blink, didn't want to lose a second of looking at her. 

“Pretty,” she asked him, grinning widely as she turned in place.

“Really pretty,” he breathed, his eyes matching the sparkle that she had in hers. He stepped closer to her, grabbing her hand and pressing a kiss to it. “Beautiful.”

He stepped closer and placed a kiss on her forehead.

“Breathtaking.”

A kiss to her cheek.

“Radiant.”

Another one to her jaw. “Enchanting.”

A soft trail of his lips down to her neck.

“Gorgeous.”

“Mike,” she laughed breathlessly, gently pushing him away, but he pulled her back, catching her lips with his. She smiled into the kiss before stopping him again. “You're such a mouth breather.”

He shrugged, giving her a sly smile bringing his thumb up to his mouth as he wiped away her red lipstick.

“Oh I almost forgot,” she said, jumping up in excitement before going back into the bathroom. She came back with a makeshift corsage and boutonniere she had made in the bathroom with the bouquet of sunflowers Mike had given her, a black ribbon and a safety pin. “Since this was last minute and all.”

“It’s perfect,” he smiled, taking the corsage that she extended out to him. He took her wrist and made sure the sunflower was facing up before tying it securely. Then she took the boutonniere and pinned it to his white button down, placing her hand on his chest, over his heart, when she was done. 

“It’s beating really fast,” she commented, more to herself than to him.

“It always does when I’m around you.”

She smiled up at him, taking his hand and leading him out the door. While El had been in the bathroom, Mike had called Lucas and explained the last minute plans to go to the dance, and he asked if he could pick them up before he left. When they went outside, he was barely pulling up to the sidewalk, his windows down and blasting some upbeat song from the 60’s.

“C’mon, guys! We’re gonna miss most of the dance,” he yelled over the music. Mike and El, sped up, running to the car and hopping inside, El in the front and Mike in the back. “I finally got Rebecca Foley to go out with me and I had to come out here and get your sorry asses,” he said, driving away from the house at top speed, his desperation obvious.

“Sorry,” Mike and El apologized, struggling to get their seat belts on from laughing so hard.

“So, you two,” Lucas asked, looking sideways to El and smirking and then looking in his rearview mirror to wink at Mike, causing him to blush.

El giggled and stretched her arm back, reaching for Mike’s hand and intertwining their fingers. “I asked him to be my boyfriend, and now he is. 

“Damn-fucking-finally,” Lucas laughed, honking his car horn a few times, “Now I won’t have to hear Mike complain about you all the time.”

Mike smacked his arm with his free hand, making El throw her head back laughing. Soon, they arrived at the school parking lot, Lucas quickly locking the car and running to the gymnasium so that he could find his date. Mike offered El his arm, and she slipped hers through his, smiling up at him as they walked inside the dance.

The gym was decorated with the school colors, green and white streamers covering the entire ceiling and a balloon arch at every entrance and exit. There were a few tables, but mostly everyone was up and dancing to the top 40 pop song that the DJ was playing. 

Mike and El went to the photographer who to get their picture taken, the backdrop silver tinsel and another green and white balloon arch. Mike held El in his arms, her back pressed towards his chest as they turned sideways and smiled into the camera, unable to stop smiling. They were so, _so_ happy.

“Do you want to dance,” Mike asked her, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the dance floor.

“That depends,” she answered, spotting Dustin and Will somewhere near the back and walking towards them. “Has your dancing improved since the snowball?”

“Ha ha,” he responded dryly, making her burst into real laughter.

“It’s about time you two showed up,” Dustin yelled, a wide grin spreading as he noticed their joined hands. He pulled El towards his side, giving her a hug and smacking a big, dramatic kiss to her head with a “ _Muah_!” 

“You look really pretty, El,” Will smiled.

“Yeah, Wheeler! How’d you manage to snatch her up,” Dustin asked cheekily.

“I’m just lucky, I guess,” Mike responded, rubbing at the back of his neck. It was true. He was at the homecoming dance with his best friends and his girlfriend. They were amazing, she was the most beautiful girl to ever exist, and he was lucky.

The four of them danced together, jumping around and twirling to the music. Soon enough, Lucas and Rebecca joined their group.

“Your dance moves are pathetic,” he yelled towards the group, smoothly dancing towards them and making his date swoon.

They heard the DJ announce that he was going to slow things down for a bit and suddenly “Take My Breath Away” filled the room. Mike and El looked at each other, bursting into laughter, much to everyone’s confused looks. He took both of her hands in his and walked backwards towards the center with the other couples who had stayed to dance. She put her hands on his neck and he put his on her waist, both of them still laughing through their dramatic singing of the lyrics. He spun and dipped her and she did the same to him, both of them unable of controlling their laughter.

They were so happy, so lucky, so in love. Everyone at the dance seemed to stop to look at the couple interact with each other, but they both failed to notice. 

For El, it was only Mike. For Mike, it was only El. The entire homecoming dance for them was two people, and years from then, that’s what they would tell people.

There were only two people. 


	2. pool parties are strange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pool parties are overwhelming when you're a girl in a swimsuit who doesn't look like the other girls in swimsuits. El finds this out the hard way. (by request, mike and el go to a pool party).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kittenCorrosion, you requested mike and el at a pool party but this is probably nothing like what you had at mind. so i apologize, but still hope you enjoy :)

**June 6, 1987**

The only reason she was even there was because Will had been invited.

It was Jennifer Hayes’s annual end of the year pool party, always held on the first Saturday of June. Every year since the end of seventh grade, since Will’s disappearance, Jennifer had invited Will to her party, and every year he kindly rejected the invitation. But for whatever reason, he accepted it that year, much to her delight and the confusion of everyone else.

“I just want to go and see if I like it,” he told the group on the last class of the year. “You guys should come, though. She said to invite my friends.”

El had looked over at Mike, sitting on the top of the desk next to her, biting his nails and looking down at the ground. She knew how nervous he got about social functions that involved anyone outside of the group, so she highly doubted he wanted to go along with Will. But much to her surprise, he ended up agreeing, saying how he was excited to use a private pool instead of the community’s.

Then he had looked over to El and said, “It’d be fun to go, wouldn't it,” and she smiled and nodded her head. There was a part of her that had wished he didn't want to go so that she wouldn't have to, but she wasn't going to tell him that. If Mike wanted to have fun, she was going to go along and support him.

And that was how she ended up in Jennifer’s bathroom on a Saturday afternoon with Rebecca, Lucas's girlfriend. The group had all arrived together and had seen how the rest of the guests were all in bathing suits, dancing to the music of Whitney Houston on the green lawn, eating pizza on the lounge chairs, or playing volleyball in the pool. They had split up, boys and girls, and gone to separate bathrooms to go change, so they could join the rest of the party, but now El was unsure she wanted to go out.

She had noticed how the rest of the girls had two piece bikinis in bright neon colors, and she thought about the white one piece with the pink and purple tropical flower print she had in her bag. In the bathroom, she saw Rebecca change into her own bright yellow bikini, a strapless top and high cut bottom piece. She was tall and slim with flawless dark skin and a wide smile. El looked at her and then stared at herself in the mirror, and she felt small.

Why couldn't she look beautiful like the other girls?

“You ready to go, El,” Rebecca asked her, putting her things in her own bag.

“You go ahead,” she said, “I need to use the bathroom.”

When Rebecca closed the door, El locked it quickly and then leaned it against it. Before she knew it, she had slided down to the floor and was crying. She was being ridiculous, she knew she was, but she just couldn't help it. Looking at all the other girls, with tanned skin, long hair and toned and tall bodies, she felt ugly.

Mike told her she was beautiful everyday, sometimes even more than once a day, and she always believed him. His voice was too genuine and his eyes were too bright for her not to believe him. But he was her boyfriend, he was in love with her, and she couldn't trust his opinion. If anyone asked, he would say El was the most beautiful girl in the world, but she knew that every other girl at that party easily deserved the title more than her.

She got up from the floor, and went over to the sink to wash her face. When she looked up at the mirror, she saw a short girl with a stupid white bathing suit. No tan or dark skin, no long hair, no bright swimsuit that looked like it came out of a supermodel’s closet. She felt like crying again, but instead she picked up her shorts and T-shirt and put them on over her bathing suit. She didn't even want to look at herself in the mirror again. She just slipped on her flip flops, grabbed her bag and left the bathroom to find Mike.

He was outside on one of the lounge chairs, shirtless and wearing some black swim trunks. She blushed at the sight of him, but then remembered what happened in the bathroom and a weird feeling settled in her stomach.

“Hey, beautiful,” he smiled as he saw her, the last word feeling like a punch in the gut. He scooted over and she sat down next to him, her knees falling in his laps as he draped an arm around her shoulder and she settled in. “Why aren't you wearing your bathing suit?”

“I don't want people to see me in it,” she answered quietly. A part of her wanted her to lie to him, to simply say she forgot it or brought the wrong one, but she couldn't lie to him.

He looked at her with a puzzled look on his face, but before he got the chance to say anything, Dustin ran up to El and grabbed her hands.

“El, come on,” he said, yanking her off the chair and taking her to where the rest of the people were dancing. “They're playing Madonna!”

Dustin was the one who had introduced her to the pop artist, and she had become a secret guilty pleasure for the both of them. They sang along to her on the radio and recreated her dance moves from her music videos in the basement when the rest of the guys weren't around. He was more embarrassed about it than she was, but it seemed that he didn't care because with all the people at the party, he was dancing like no one was around.

El tried to smile and dance with him, but he was too energetic for her to catch up with and she wasn't in the mood. Usually she would find Dustin’s silliness infectious, but that day she couldn't find it in herself to go along. When the song ended, a few of the people there clapped for him and he bowed dramatically, loving all the attention.

El clapped, too and began to walk away but he grabbed her by the elbow, stopping her next step.

“What's wrong, El,” he asked her.

“Nothing,” she shrugged, trying to play it off and giving him an eye roll.

“‘La Isla Bonita’ just played and you didn't dance with me, something’s wrong.”

She looked around at the rest of the people at the party, all of them laughing and dancing and swimming without a care in the world. She turned back to Dustin, who looked like he was patiently waiting for an answer.

“How did you get so confident with yourself?”

He raised his eyebrow at her, a confused look on his face, “Are you calling me ugly?”

“No! I would never!”

“Then why are you asking me why-.”

“I just,” she breathed, running her fingers through her hair. The curly brown locks only reached below her ear now so she did it continuously. “Nothing. Never mind. It was dumb.”

“Hey,” he stopped her again. “I don't know what this is about, but I do know that most of the issues you think you have are all in your head.”

She gave him a small smile because she wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that she actually was pretty just like all the other girls at the other party and she was just overthinking things. She wanted to believe that she could still manage to look beautiful if she danced silly or if she ate pizza. But she couldn't believe any of it.

“I’m gonna let you go back to your boyfriend before he starts crying like a little baby about how you're only hanging out with the cool people,” Dustin gestured to himself, “But if Madonna comes back on, you're coming back and we're having a do over dance.”

“Okay,” she laughed, giving him a quick hug and walking over to where Mike was. He was getting some food from the snack table and he had his back turned towards her. She easily wrapped her arms around his torso and laid her head on his back. He grabbed her hands and turned around, her arms still wrapped around his waist.

“Hey,” he smiled, leaning down to place a quick kiss on her lips.

“Hi,” she giggled. Just a smile and a kiss from him was all it took to make her feel a little better.

“Why didn't you dance with Dustin?”

“I’m kind of embarrassed,” she shrugged, running a hand through his hair. “There's a lot of people here.” There were at most thirty but it still seemed like a lot to El, who currently felt like the smallest person to ever exist.

“I know, and you left me all alone,” he pouted jokingly.

“Where are Will and Lucas?”

“Lucas and Rebecca are playing volleyball in the pool.” He pointed to the pool behind him where the young couple was currently focused on beating the team on the other side of the net. “And Will is talking with Phillip Avery.”

El’s eyes followed where Mike’s head had turned to and saw Will sitting beside Phillip on a hammock that hung between two trees. They were both taking turns between talking and laughing to one another, seeming completely oblivious to the fact that there was a party going on.

“Do you think he's the reason he wanted to come,” she asked Mike, turning back to him as the idea of Will liking Phillip started going through her head. Thoughts of double dates started bubbling in her mind.

“Probably,” he chuckled. “He hasn't even talked to Jennifer since we’ve been here.”

“We should talk to him about it.”

“I think we should talk about what you said to me before you left with Dustin.”

He stared down at her seriously and it made her chest tighten. Once again, it looked like he wanted to say something else, but he was interrupted by a guy coming up to them.

“Excuse me, guys,” he told them, moving in between them to get some chips from the snacks table. Mike looked at El, letting her know with his eyes that they were still going to talk, but the guy turned to face them. “Sorry about that, Wheeler.”

“No problem,” Mike said, putting his hands up in defense.

“You know, I’ve never seen you guys at one of these things,” he told Mike and El, leaning against the table and stuffing his mouth full of chips.

“Yeah, we're not really into parties but this seemed fun.”

El thought a quiet “yeah, _real_ fun” in her mind.

“So you two are together now, right?”

“Yeah,” Mike blushed, pulling El towards his side by wrapping an arm around her waist. “Eight months now.”

“You're really lucky, Wheeler,” the guy said, looking at El then. “She sure is pretty.”

“Yeah, she's alright,” Mike joked, looking down at her and winking. And she knew he was kidding, that he just didn't want to embarrass her and go on about what he really thought of her. But it managed to cause tears to swell up in her eyes and for the room to spin and merge into a dizzying array of girls in bright colors.

“Excuse me,” she choked out, disentangling herself from Mike and walking away, faster and faster until she was at the front of the house. She had to leave the party, she wanted to go back to yesterday when she didn't know that pool parties made a person feel so insecure.

She found herself in the passenger’s seat of Lucas’s car that was parked across the street on the sidewalk. He had a bad habit of never locking his car, something everyone always scolded him about, but she was grateful for it that way. El simply locked the doors and leaned over on the dashboard, crying and feeling some release.

At the sound of a tap on the car window though, she quickly lifted her head and tried to wipe away her tears. She saw Mike standing there, now with a T-shirt and flip flops.

“Please open the door, El,” he told her softly, his eyes pleading with her. She nodded and unlocked the door, wiping away at her tears once again. He slipped into the driver’s seat and locked the door, turning towards her and tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger on her cheek. “What's wrong?”

El felt like she was going to explode, like she could make the car burst into a thousand pieces with her mind and send them both flying into oblivion. Instead, it came out as a choked scream, her crying starting once again.

“Why did we have to come to this stupid pool party?!”

He leaned back, surprised by how loud she was. “What?”

“The party! _This_ party! You never like to go to parties and now you decide you do! Why did you want to come to this party?!”

He was quiet, leaning back in his seat and fiddling with his fingers as he stared at her. “I need to tell you something, but I don't want you to be mad at me.”

She stopped her crying then, noticing how scared he looked. An unnerving feeling overtook her as she waited for him to say something.

“I got into the summer engineering program at Indiana State. I just found out I got accepted two days ago.”

She was silent. Confused mostly.

“That…that's great, Mike,” she smiled, although her eyebrows furrowed together. “Why would I be mad at you? I’m so proud.”

She reached over and cupped his cheek in her hand and he put his hand over it, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. He smiled a tiny, almost invisible smile, and then it faded.

“It's a six week program and I leave for it next Monday. That's why I wanted to come to the party. I wanted to do as much fun stuff with you as possible before I left.”

She found her smile fading, too. Mike, her Mike, was going to be away from her for six weeks, 42 days, 1008 hours. The boy who she had held hands with, kissed, and talked to every day for the past 32 weeks, 224 days, 5376 hours, was going to be away from her for half the summer, the first summer they had together as an official couple.

And then her thoughts drifted farther away from that. She thought of the girls that were inevitably going to be there as part of the program with Mike. Pretty, intelligent girls that Mike was going to see for six weeks instead of her. She thought of him falling for one, falling for them all, realizing that she wasn't as special as he thought she was and breaking up with her.

The thought of Mike leaving her overwhelmed her and she found herself sobbing again, pulling away from Mike and sobbing into her hands.

“Baby, baby, what's wrong,” he told her gently, pulling her back towards him and putting her head to his chest as he tried to soothe her.

“You're going to breakup with me,” she sobbed, clutching onto his shirt.

“I’m _what_ ,” he yelled, grabbing her onto her shoulders so that he could look at her. “Why the hell would I break up with you?! I love you.”

“No,” she cried, “You're going to find another girl who's prettier than me and you're going to break up with me!”

“There is no one prettier than you, El. You know that.”

“Stop lying to me,” she yelled. She could tell she was a bit too loud, a bit too harsh, by the way he retracted from her and stared at her with wide eyes, but she needed him to know what she was feeling.

“I don't look good in a bathing suit!”

A realization settles on his face. “That's why you're mad about the pool party. You think you don't look good in a bathing suit.”

“I know I don't,” she screamed, a sob quieting her down. “I’m not tall and skinny and I don't have big boobs like Rebecca. And I don't have long hair like Jennifer or look cool when I’m dancing like Madonna. And I look so ugly in my dumb swimsuit, and every other girl at the party is so much prettier than me.”

“I love you, but you're crazy,” he told her. “I’ve seen you in a bathing suit, and trust me, there should be no complaints.”

Her face turned red, mad at him somehow for trying to make her feel better. She threw the shirt off of her and pushed down her shorts, revealing her one piece to him.

“You see,” she cried, gesturing to her body. “I’m not pretty! I’m not like the other girls!” She brought her knees up to her chest and held on to them, crying. It seemed to her like she cried for hours, her entire body shaking as the sobs overtook her, until Mike spoke up and brought her back.

“You're right. You're not like the other girls,” he said quietly. She turned her head to look at him.

“You're short and you don't have long hair and you don't get enough sunlight,” he smiled a bit, grabbing her hands in his. “But El, their beautiful isn't the only kind of beautiful that exists in the world. You're beautiful, too. You're my favorite kind of beautiful.”

She wiped away at her tears, still staring at him. She let him pull her onto his lap, one of his arms around her waist and the other holding her face.

“Babe, you're the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. And you don't look like Madonna or Rebecca, but you don't need to. I love you exactly the way you are. Every dimple, every strand of hair, every little inch of you. I wish you could see what I see.”

A small quirk of her lips began to slowly form a smile on both of their faces. He kissed her forehead and then leaned his against her.

“And I promise you don't need to worry about me meeting someone else during the program, because you're it for me. You always have been. But if you don't want me to go, I’ll stay with you and we can spend everyday together just like we planned.”

“No,” she told him quickly. “You need to go. I’m so proud of you for getting into it, Mike. I’m sorry I’ve been acting crazy all day.”

“Insecurity makes us all go a little crazy sometimes,” he shrugged. “And for what it's worth, I think you look amazing in that swimsuit. But if you still don't want to go to the party, we can go home and that's okay. You don't need to do anything you don't want to.”

She thought about what he said, and about what Dustin had said earlier. There was nothing wrong with her. Yes, she was different than the other girls, but that didn't mean she wasn't beautiful, too. If Mike, the most incredible person she knew, said that she was beautiful, there had to be some truth to it. If he saw her, knew her, and loved her, she could do the same.

El smiled at him, lifting his t-shirt off of him. She put her hand behind his neck and pulled her towards him, her lips meeting his softly.

“Let's go back to the party,” she whispered, her lips lingering over his. He smiled widely and kissed her once more before peppering kisses all over her face, causing her to burst into a fit of giggles. She opened the car door, stepping out before him, and then holding his hand as they went back to the party.

A small cluster of nervous butterflies seemed to reappear in the pit of her stomach as they approached the familiar scene of teenage girls in bathing suits. She was beginning to think that maybe it had been a mistake to go back and was considering telling Mike about it when a redheaded girl in a green bikini came up to her.

“Oh my god,” she squealed. “I love your swimsuit! Where did you get it?”

“Umm,” El mumbled, a little taken aback, squeezing Mike’s hand. “Macy’s, I think.”

“Well it looks amazing on you,” she smiled genuinely. “I wish I could pull off a one piece.”

The redhead found someone else familiar and left with a small wave before El got to say anything else to her. She looked up at Mike, who was wearing a mix of a “proud boyfriend” smile and a sly “I told you so” smirk. She simply rolled her eyes at him and pulled him towards the pool where she saw the rest of the couples playing chicken.

“Finally, you guys show up,” Lucas called them over. “I’ve been waiting all year to play against you two.”

El laughed right before she jumped into the pool, Mike right after her, and they swam over to Lucas and Rebecca in the center of the pool. The few other people in the pool made room for the two couples, shouting their different names for support.  
Even Will and Phillip came over from their spot to sit on the edge of the pool.

“Go, El,” Will yelled, throwing her a thumbs up.

“Traitor,” Lucas screamed back at him, his voice obviously teasing.

“Are you ready,” Mike whispered to El. She smiled and nodded, going behind him and grabbing onto his two hands to hoist herself up on his shoulders. Rebecca did the same with Lucas and soon the two girls were facing each other, ready to push each other off their boyfriends. They held onto each other's arms, both trying to be stronger than the other and knock them into the water. It lasted about a minute but in the end, much to everyone's surprise, El managed to beat Rebecca.

When she came down from Mike’s shoulders, he enveloped her in a hug spinning her around in the water, but then putting her down and whispering in her ear, “I know what you did.”

She looked at him confused but he raised his finger up to her nose and wiped away the blood, causing her to blush. Maybe she used her powers just a little bit to help her stay on Mike, but it was her own strength that ended up helping her win. She was about to tell that to Mike, but was distracted when she saw a frantic Dustin running towards her.

“El, they're playing Madonna again,” he basically screeched, hopping up and down in excitement.

She looked to Mike and Lucas. “Can I-?”

“Go ahead.”

“Hurry up and dance with him so we can have a rematch!”

She laughed and took Dustin’s offered hand to get out of the pool, letting her drag her to the grass once again to dance. That time, however, she actually did. They both slid and swayed and jumped, all the meanwhile laughing and smiling with one another.

“So are you okay now,” he asked, still dancing around her.

She looked behind her to where Mike was, his arms resting on the side of the pool so that his head was above water and he could see her dance. He smiled at her, pushing his hair out of his eyes, and didn't stop looking at her.

She turned back around to Dustin, getting back into rhythm with his dance moves.

“Perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: loving yourself is one of the hardest things a person can do. honestly, i still have trouble accepting myself. i wrote this for any girl, any boy, any person, who sometimes feels like el and thinks they're not beautiful. i’m here to be your mike and to tell you that inside and out, you are. i promise. xo, julia


	3. long distance is strange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mike and El are away from each other for six weeks.

_June 15, 1987_

_Dear Mike,_

_I miss you. I know you've only been gone since yesterday but I miss you being here. I miss holding your hand and kissing you and just having you here._

_It’s kind of silly just how much I miss you. Hopper even noticed and made Will take me out so that I could stop “moping around the house.” I wasn’t even “moping”! (Okay, maybe a little. I’m going to be without my boyfriend the next six weeks. What do they want from me?!)_

_Will took me to the diner in town and he bought me a milkshake, but it isn’t the same having you to share it with. And then he just spent the entire time talking about Phillip and all their plans for the summer, which made me miss you even more._

_I sound like such a desperate girl, but I’ve gotten so used to you. I’m counting down the days until you get back to me, Mike Wheeler._

_I hope you had a good first day at your program. I bet you’re the smartest one there. Write me back when you’re not busy solving math equations and memorizing formulas._

_I love you._

_El_

 

_P.S. Did you open up the gift I put in your suitcase?_

* * *

 

**June 18, 1987**

**Dear El,**

**I just opened up your letter and got out this sheet of paper and started writing you. Even if I was solving math equations and memorizing formulas, I would stop right away for you. I’ll always have time for you. (How many times do I have to tell you, El? You’re my number one.)**

**I opened up your gift Sunday night when I settled into my dorm and almost started crying. Just seeing your pretty face in a picture frame and knowing I’m not going to be seeing it in person the next few weeks made me sad. I left behind the most beautiful girl and I’m reminded of it constantly. When I open up my wallet, I have your yearbook picture there. When I get something from my binder, our photo booth strip from Valentine’s Day is there. And now, I have the photo of us from the homecoming dance on my dresser and it’s the first thing I see when I wake up and last thing I see when I go to sleep. I’m actually looking at it right now. You’re so beautiful, babe. I wish you were here so that I could kiss you and tell you that over and over again.**

**This week has been so stressful. Everyone is a lot smarter than I am and they’re not very nice about it, either. It’s nothing like Hawkins. Maybe nothing else in this world is like Hawkins. Hopefully, it’ll get better and it’ll turn out they’re not the competitive, pretentious assholes they seem to be.**

**I miss you so much, beautiful.**

**I love you more.**

**Mike**

**P.S. 36 more days and we’ll able to get back at Will and make out super loud right next to his room. Just like it’s meant to be.**

* * *

  _June 22, 1987_

_Dear Mike,_

_I was so excited to get your letter that I opened it right away when Joyce gave it to me in the living room. The last part made me blush so much that I had to run to my room to avoid Hopper's questions. How dare you talk about making out with me when you know I'm gonna have to wait so long for it?  I miss kissing you everyday and to bring it up is so unfair._

_I don't understand how anyone could be mean to you. You're so good, Mike Wheeler. The best. Those people must be real mouth breathers if they can't see that.  I'm sure they'll come around, though if they haven't already. You are smart and kind and brilliant and just as deserving to be in that program as they are._

_On unrelated news, Will and Phillip are officially boyfriend and boyfriend. The only people that know about it are me and Jonathan. (And now, you. But I had to tell you!) He doesn't want to tell Lucas or Dustin because he thinks they might be weirded out or something, but I told him he was being silly. So if Will tells you, act surprised and be supportive. I think he really, really likes this boy. And I know what it feels like to really, really like a boy. (The boy is you, just in case you were wondering.)_

_And I can't believe you have so many pictures of me! The people there are probably mean to you because they think you're a stalker or something._

_I love you most._

_El_

_P.S. 32 more days until we get to..._

* * *

 

**June 25, 1987**

**Dear El,**

**I can't believe I was so nice to you on the phone yesterday, unbeknownst to you calling me a stalker! And you acted so innocent, as if you didn't have an insult waiting for me in my mailbox. I'm hurt, El. Really. Please imagine me with tears in my eyes and a hand clutched to my chest because that is exactly what I look like at this very moment.**

**I missed hearing your voice so much. I still can't believe we only got a ten minute phone call and I decided to call you and not my mom. She's going to kill me when I get back. (Worth it, though.)**

**And just in case you were still wondering, my roommate finally asked me about you. He said you were really pretty to which I said, "I know that's why I'm dating her." (Which is a lie of course. I'm dating you for lots of reasons- your smarts, kindness, courage, humor, talent, awesomeness, etc.) And he asked if you had a sister because he wanted to date her. I told him he was out of luck. There is only one Hopper girl and she is all mine.**

**Even if she does insult me in letters.**

 

**That's not possible.**

**Mike**

**P.S. 29 more days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Not that I'm excited or anything.)**

* * *

_June 29, 1987_

_Dear Mike,_

_I am nothing but kind to you, always! Except sometimes when I'm not but even then, I never stop loving you. (Could I ever?)_

_I went to visit Holly yesterday and I ended up taking her out for some ice cream. She really misses you. I think next time you get the opportunity to call, you should call home and talk to her. Also, talk to your mom, please. She's really mad that her "precious baby boy would rather talk to some girl than to the woman who birthed him." So please, for the both of us, call her._

_Tell me more about your roommate! And the people there! Like, is that girl Chloe still bothering you? Because if she is, I still know how to break arms, legs, necks, etc. And how is your big project and paper coming along? I want you to tell me everything so that I can feel like I'm there._

_I would do the same, but the only thing really happening around here is Will and Phillip sneaking around, Dustin getting a job at the arcade, and Lucas going away for the next week and a half to his grandma's house in Pennsylvania so they can celebrate the Fourth of July. All I do all day is dance around to records in my room, read books, try new recipes with Joyce, and wait around for you to come back._

_I love you more than you love me. Give it up._

_El_

_P.S. 25 more days. (I'm excited but I'm saving all my energy for you.)_

* * *

**July 2, 1987**

**Dear El,**

**Ignore my mom, El. I know we've been over this before and you really want her to like you, but she's crazy. If it gives you any peace of mind, though, I did call her yesterday, but all she did the entire phone call was cry and repeatedly ask me if I was eating okay. (And don't listen to her. You're not "some" girl, you're my girl.)**

**No way, Dustin got a job at the arcade?! Does that mean we get to play games for free?**

**I wish we could spend the Fourth of July together. I had everything planned out for the two of us before I found out about the program. I was gonna bike us down to the lake so that we could spend the day there and I was gonna make us some burgers on one of the grills there. We would stay there swimming all afternoon and then at nighttime we would sit on a blanket and watch all the fireworks. It was going to be perfect. Now I'm gonna spend it on campus, studying for my big presentation instead of hanging out with my amazing girlfriend. I hope Hopper has something fun planned for you to do.**

**My roommate's name is Tom and he's from Chicago and apparently has four older brothers and has never had a girlfriend before. That's all I know about him because he doesn't really spend time in our dorm, he's mostly spends it in the library.**

**Forget Chloe. She just hates me because the first week of school she answered one of the professor's questions wrong and I corrected her. So now she just glares at me when she sees me and tries to beat me in our courses.**

**Want to know what would be really cool? If you could write up a new campaign for all of us to play when I get back. I have some ideas in my notebook in the basement if you want. You totally don't have to or anything but if you ever get bored of dancing, reading, cooking, or waiting for me, you can always try to write.**

**Seriously, El. There's no way you can love me more.**

**Mike.**

**P.S. 22 more days and I get to see if you really did save all that energy for me.**

* * *

_July 6, 1987_

_Dear Mike,_

_I will never get tired of waiting for you. I waited for you for almost a year before, remember? I will wait for you forever._

_I hope you didn't have a too terrible Fourth of July. Hopper, Joyce, Jonathan, Will, Phillip and I went to the park and there were a lot of people barbecuing with their families. Then at sunset, they started the fireworks and we all sat down on the hill and watched them together. It was actually really nice. I just know I would have enjoyed it more with you._

_Oh! And I asked Dustin about the free games and he said the most he could give you was a 25% discount but I talked him into 100% because I'm his favorite, obviously. So hurry up and get back here so that we can go to the arcade and I can beat you at air hockey again._

_I ended up going to your basement and getting your notebook so that I could write my own campaign, but your notes are so messy! How do you understand that thing?! Everything is smudged and crossed out and written over. I'm going to try my best to work on one with my own ideas, but if it ends up being a complete failure, I'm blaming you._

_You have no idea what I'm capable of._

_El_

_P.S. 18 more days and you'll see why you shouldn't test me, Wheeler._

* * *

**July 9, 1987**

**Dear El,**

**You couldn't fail at anything, even if you tried.**

**And okay, no, you did not beat me at air hockey. You cheated! I totally know you used your powers with your last few points in the game. The only reason I didn't say anything was because I love you and your victory dance was cute. **

**I'm actually really surprised by how I spent my Fourth of July. You probably will be, too. I decided to go to the library for once and Tom was there with some other girl from our class, Nicole, and they invited me to sit with them to study. We ended up just talking about movies and comic books and stuff, though so we didn't study much.  (It's okay, I still got an A on my exam). And then they invited me to go with them to the quad to watch the fireworks show, so I went with them. They were giving out free food and there was some local band playing there and it was really fun. I just would have had more fun with you.**

**I miss you, so much. I know I've already told you this a lot but I really do. I just want to be with you all day. I want to hear your pretty voice sing along to the radio. I want to hold your hand and watch movies together. I want to kiss you and kiss you and kiss you. Fuck. I miss you, El.**

**I do but trust me. The love I have for you is insurmountable.**

**Mike**

**P.S. 15 more days and I'll happily take that challenge.**

* * *

_July 13, 1987_

_Dear Mike,_

_I miss you more. Tomorrow it will be an exact month since I last saw you and thinking about that made me cry. I know you say you hate it when I cry, but I couldn't help it. I miss you so much and I can't believe you've been away from me for so long. Our countdown days keep getting shorter but that just means we've been away from each other longer._

_Joyce heard me cry about you the other night and came in to comfort me, but then Hopper came in and said I had no reason to be crying over some boy. He said the same thing when you made me mad last year. But you're not some boy. You're Mike Wheeler. Doesn't he know what it feels like to miss your best friend?_

_When you come back, I'm locking you in my room and I'm not letting you leave for a month. I'll have to apologize to Karen and Holly, but I don't care. You're staying with me to make up for lost time and we can spend that month writing campaigns, dancing to my records, reading to each other, and kissing, kissing, kissing._

_Mike Wheeler, come back to me. Please._

_How do you know my love for you isn't insurmountable?_

_El_

_P.S. 11 days. 11 just like your favorite person who's still waiting for you._

* * *

**July 16, 1987**

**Dear El,**

**By next weekend I'll be back home to you and I won't leave you for as long as you want me. We can read or write or watch movies or kiss or sleep, whatever. I just want to be with you.**

**I called my mom yesterday and asked if she could please, please bring you up this weekend so that I could see you, but she said that she wasn't driving the six hours here and six hours back because**

**1\. I have my final exam, paper, and project due next week and I should be focusing on that.**

**2\. The drive is too long for her to take Holly with her and my dad is away on a business trip.**

~~**3\. I'll be back next weekend and you and I can wait that long to see each other.** ~~

**I crossed out the last reason because even though she said it, I don't agree with it. I can't wait to be back with you. I'm going crazy just thinking about how soon and how far away I am from seeing you. I literally stayed up the other night trying to work on my final paper to distract myself from you, but it didn't work. No matter what I do, I just can't stop thinking about you, El Hopper.**

**Because to have as much love as I have for you is a scary amount and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.**

**Mike**

**P.S. 8 days until I get to be with my favorite person again.**

* * *

_July 20, 1987_

_Dear Mike,_

_Is it bad that I asked Lucas the same thing? I told him a couple weeks ago if he could please me drive to you and he said that it was too long of a drive for his parents to agree to. I told him I couldn't wait to see you and he said that he could. (So basically, what I'm saying is that when you get back here we have to be extra annoying in front of Lucas)._

_It's Monday afternoon when I'm writing this and this Saturday by the evening you'll be back home in Hawkins. I think I'm going to cry when I see you and your freckles in all their glory. At this point, I'm crying tears of excitement just thinking about having you with me._

_I know you said you'd always have time for me, but I really do want you to do well on all your final stuff. I want you to get A's and I want these six weeks we were away to have been worth it. So I'm going to hurry up and end this letter and tell you it's okay if you don't write me back because I want you to study._

_Good luck on everything. I believe in you!_

_You really love me that much?_

_El_

_P.S. 4 more days until you're back home to me._

* * *

**July 23, 1987**

**Dear El,**

**You told me not to write back but I couldn't do that. (And also, I'm taking a study break. I have too many equations and formulas in my head for it to be considered healthy.)**

**Tomorrow is my last day here and I have no idea how I survived without you for so long. I have no idea how I survived without you for almost a year before. I have no idea if I'll be able to survive without you for so long again.**

**I don't want to talk about this now, because it should be a conversation we have in person. I know we're barely going to start our junior year in high school, but I'm already thinking about the future. Our future. That's kind of the reason I was so excited to be accepted into this program. It's going to look really good on college applications and I want to get into a good college because I want us to have a good future. You and me. Where you go, I want to be there and wherever I go, I want you to come, if you'll have me. ~~I just~~**

**I love you. Thank you for keeping me sane while I was here and for making me feel like I was the best even if other people here made me feel like I wasn't.**

**You're the best. You're everything.**

**More.**

**Mike**

 

**P.S. By the time you read this, I'll be home to you.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was obviously a bit of an experimental chapter and i had no idea how it would go, but i couldn't get the idea out of my head. let me know what you thought of it down below and as always, requests are welcome :)


	4. moms are strange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karen Wheeler did not like her. (based off the headcanon that karen is #thatbitch and just doesn't think that anyone is good for her son).

**1986-87**

 

She could tell that Karen didn't like her.

From the very moment that they met, she could tell. Back then she had been a frightened thirteen year old, trying to adjust once again to a world of possibilities and caring adults and a boy who made her heart yearn for something she didn't recognize. The woman had been kind enough to appear kind, but not kind enough to actually mean it. 

To her, she would always be Eleven, the girl who put her only son in danger, the girl who basically took him away when she left to the unknown and abandoned him as a heartbroken teen. She was the girl she didn't understand and couldn't trust, and even when El turned into a love struck fifteen year old, she was still the mysterious girl with the shaved head and her daughter’s outgrown dress.

“Why does your mom hate me so much,” she'd ask Mike, twiddling her thumbs from her spot on the couch in the basement, as she watched her boyfriend's mom walk back up the stairs.

“She doesn't hate you,” he'd insist, his mouth full of whatever snack she had brought down for him and his friends, her excluded.

“She most definitely hates El,” Dustin would interject.

“Dude!”

“It’s true! Have you heard the way she talks to her?! It's insulting!”

“Thank you, Dustin,” El would say exasperatedly, throwing her arms in the air.

“Yeah, and I don't even think I’ve ever seen her smile at El,” Lucas would comment.

“Or complimented. Or call ‘sweetie’,” Will would add. “And she calls all of us ‘sweetie.’”

At that point El would have everyone on her side besides Mike, who stood his ground that his mom did like her. He'd move up to the couch with her, interlace their hands and move it up to his mouth to place a kiss, ignoring the groans from his friends. And he would tell her that his mom liked her because he loved her and she wanted him to be happy.

But El knew the truth, and the truth was that Karen Wheeler did not like her.

* * *

The door to Mike’s bedroom was to always remain open if they were the only two in the room. That was the new rule that Karen enforced in her house when Mike and El started dating. The second she found out, when Mike came home from the homecoming dance and informed his parents about the news, uncontrollably smiling and bursting at the seams, she told him that the door had to be open at all times.

“She doesn't trust me,” El said, her eyes staring at the hallway through the open doorway. Her voice was quiet as she strained to listen for the sound of footsteps coming upstairs. She always made sure to sit with her back on the headboard of the bed so that she could be the first to see Karen walk in. 

“It's not that. She just doesn't trust the two of us alone together,” Mike said, still not looking up from his textbook. “She thinks we're gonna make out.”

“ _ Mike _ ,” she scolded, her eyes wide and the shock in her voice clear enough to make him finally look up.

“It's true!”

“Well, that isn't what would happen. I came here to study and that's what I’m gonna do.”

El picked up her own textbook, the one she had discarded momentarily, and put it on her lap. She didn't care what her boyfriend said, she was going to study and pass their history test tomorrow. So she sat there, reading and rereading paragraphs about the difference between federalists and antifederalists, all the meanwhile trying her hardest not to look up at Mike. Eventually though, she felt him staring at her, his gaze steady and unmoving, and she had to look up.

“What?”

“You're so cute when you read,” he smiled. The dimples in his cheeks made her heart flutter but she fought a grin, thinking about his mother downstairs.

“Mike, stop it.”

“Stop what,” he asked innocently, his smile growing, followed by a light chuckle.

“I know you're trying to distract me and it's not going to work,” she told him, looking back down at her textbook to read. 

He moved closer to her, a sparkle in his eyes now matching the brightness of his smile, suggestive and almost taunting. “I'm not trying to do anything except help you pass the history test.”

Her breathing hitched in her throat. She desperately wanted to look away from him and back at the door, as a just in case. But he was so close that her mind was spinning from the warmth he was radiating.  

“You want to make out and I’m telling you right now, that's not happening.”

“Are you sure about that?”

His lips grazed over hers, just a breath away from being in actual contact. She felt her defense slowly come down and was about to close the small bit of distance between them, when she heard a loud cough at the door.

Karen was there at the doorway, standing with her arms crossed, eyes bulging and mouth wide open. El quickly pushed Mike off of her, feeling her face get red and hot from the embarrassment. She had pushed him off a little too roughly and he stumbled off the edge of the bed, but she couldn't find it in her to apologize. She just stared at Karen, who in return stared at her for a little while longer before turning to Mike and telling him to go downstairs for dinner. Then she looked at El once more, her eyes practically daggers, and turned on her heel to go back downstairs.

The room was quiet then, neither of them knowing what to say to break the awkward tension. 

“I’m gonna go,” El said finally, quickly jumping off the bed. She grabbed her textbook and notes that were scattered on the covers and began to shove them in her backpack.

“No don't leave,” Mike said, trying to get her to stop. “We still have to study.”

“That was so embarrassing, Mike,” she screamed in a whisper, “I have my eyes towards the door so that I can see her come in and you totally distracted me.”

“I'm sorry. You're right, we should have just studied.”

She looked up at his sad, sweet face filled with guilt and remorse. Suddenly she felt apologetic, and a small voice in the back of her mind was telling her to stay. But the look on Karen’s face loudly came back into her mind and she knew she couldn't stay even if she wanted to.

El reached up towards Mike, taking his face in her hand and pulling him down towards her so she could kiss his cheek. “I’ll call you later and we can quiz each other over the phone.”

He nodded and she left the room, closing the door behind her. She took a deep breath and tried to tell herself to walk downstairs calmly, even though everything inside of her was telling her to run. When she reached the bottom, she saw Karen moving swiftly in the kitchen to make sure everything was ready for dinner. She only stopped momentarily to look at El and then began to move again into the dining room.

El wanted to apologize, to say it would never happen again and that from then on they would only study at the library or downstairs in the kitchen, but it was obvious Karen didn't want to speak to her. She simply just said goodbye to Holly, quickly kissing her head, and left through the front door. She got on her bike and the entire ride home she cursed under her breath. 

Mike’s mom was never going to like her.

* * *

She wanted nothing more but to call him.

El had woken up from a nightmare, complete with the return of her Papa, a Demogorgon, and entrapment back in the lab, and she felt like her heart was going to explode out of her chest. She was sweating and felt tears begin to fall and all she wanted was to have someone reassure her it was going to be okay. 

That person was usually Mike, with his soft voice and calming sentences that managed to distract her, but when she looked at the clock and saw the two am time, she wasn't sure it’d be a good idea to call. They would have school in a few hours, and she didn't want to wake him, but she didn't know who else to talk to. She could never even dare go into Hopper and Joyce’s room and Will had his own set of traumas to deal with.

Taking a deep breath to try and calm herself, she reached over to grab her telephone on the nightstand and dialed Mike’s line, knowing the number by heart. It only rung twice before he picked it up and she immediately felt more at peace.

“Hello,” he answered, his voice groggy and being followed by a yawn. She smiled as she thought of him in his bed, eyes droopy and a small frown on his face from being woken up.

“Hi, Mike,” she whispered, playing with the telephone cord. It had been a gift from Joyce for her fifteenth birthday, a light pink rotary phone, and since then it had sat on her nightstand and had only been used to talk to Mike. Her favorite thing was to sit on her bed and talk to him on the phone for hours, twirling the cord around her fingers and feeling like a girl in the John Hughes movies that Nancy showed her. That night though, she wasn't feeling like one of them. She felt like she was a twelve year old girl in a hospital gown, dehumanized to a weapon and experiment.

“El,” he asked, this time louder and sounding more awake. “What's wrong?”

“I had a nightmare...about the lab and the monster and Pa-,” she felt herself choke on the word, crying all over again and having to calm herself down.

“Babe,” he breathed, his voice sounding sorry even though he had no reason to be. “Do you want me to go over? I think I can sneak out-.”

“No,” she quickly reassured him. She knew that if she didn't stop him he would get on his bike and go over to her. And although it sounded nice, she didn't want the both of them to get in trouble. “I just...I just wanted to tell you. I wanted to hear your voice tell me I’m safe.”

“You're safe. I promise.”

She smiled into the phone, laying her head back on her pillow and closing her eyes. Hearing him say those four words made her believe that she was safe and let her know that nothing would get to her. She wasn't the same girl she used to be. She was El Hopper now, complete with a family and friends and a boyfriend who all loved her and would never hurt her.

“Do you want me to keep talking to you on the phone until you go back to sleep,” he asked her, taking her out of her thoughts.

“Yes, please.”

Mike told her about how when he was little and he had nightmares he would turn on all the lights and try to stay awake as long as possible until he eventually fell back to sleep. He told her how sometimes, while she was away, he would dream about her being in the basement and he’d get up and check but she was never there. He told her about how he loved camping underneath the stars during the summer and how he wanted to take her with him.

“I don't think Hopper would let me stay with you overnight,” she giggled.

“You can always sneak out. We can always say it's a group trip. We’ll come up with something.”

“You sound really desperate to get me alone,” she teased.

“Hell yeah,” he yelled, making her laugh and having to quickly cover her mouth with her hand to quiet it down. She heard him laugh on the other end, too but then she heard another voice in the background. Soon enough, she realized who it was and she stopped laughing.

“I’m just talking to...She had a nightmare...I know it's a school night...Okay, let me just say goodbye,” were his responses to his mother's voice. 

“El, I need to go. My mom is mad that we're talking so late on a school night.”

“I heard,” she sighed. No matter what she did she always seemed to end up on Karen’s bad side.

“But if you get any more nightmares or anything, call me. I don't care if she gets mad.”

“Okay,” El smiled at the words her chivalrous boyfriend and felt a blush creep onto her cheeks. She really cared about being on friendly terms with the woman, but at the moment she didn't. She only cared about the fact that she ended up with the sweetest boy in all of Indiana.

“I’ll see you in like six hours, okay? I love you,” he said.

“I love you, too,” she told him, hanging the phone up and falling back onto her pillow, her head filled with thoughts of starry nights and disapproving mothers.

* * *

“You like Mike, right,” El asked Joyce.

It was a rare occurrence when the house wasn't packed with other boys and they always used their time alone together to paint each other's nails and gossip during TV commercials.

“Of course I do, honey. I've known him since he was Will’s friend when they were little and he's always been a good friend and calm and respectful,” she answered, looking up from painting El’s fingernail with a light blue colored polish. “Why do you ask?”

“Mike's mom doesn't like me.” Joyce looked up at El again, who in response bit her lip. “I just wanted to know if it was a mom thing, not liking who your kid is dating.”

The woman smiled at the younger girl, putting the nail polish down on the coffee table and taking her hands in hers, trying not to smear it. 

“I love Mike for you,” she said softly. “There are not very many good men in this world but Mike is. I see the way you two care about each other. And if Karen Wheeler can't see that, or if she does but still doesn't like you, there's nothing you can do. You're perfect, just the way you are.”

El felt a tear roll down her cheek as an overwhelming sense of love overtook her. She leaned over and kissed Joyce’s cheek, wrapping her arms around her and whispering a thank you that she meant with all the sincerity she was capable of.

Joyce was not her real mother, yet she acted and loved her like she was. Why could Joyce do all that for her and Mike, but Karen couldn't? 

* * *

Karen Wheeler was actually going to kill them. Maybe not Mike, but her- definitely. That was the only thought that was going through her head as she sat with him in the principal’s office, both of them waiting for their parents to arrive.

It was only 8 in the morning on Monday, the start of the school week, and they had managed to get in trouble. Both of them at fault, but somehow El knew Karen wouldn't see it that way.

During the weekend, El had gone shopping with Hopper, Joyce, and Will. The adults had decided that now that the weather was beginning to heat up with summer approaching, they needed to buy new clothes to replace the ones they’d outgrown. They had ended up spending hours at the mall a few towns over and El had happily purchased dresses, skirts, and pretty blouses. Joyce had even allowed her to buy some lipgloss and mascara, which they both kept hidden from an overprotective Hopper. 

That morning, El was more excited than usual to wake up and get ready for school, putting together an outfit from the new clothes she had bought. She put on a blouse in a soft yellow fabric with sleeves that fell nicely on her shoulders and a denim skirt that Joyce assured her looked amazing on her. She even applied a small coat of mascara and swiped on some light pink lip gloss, and as she looked in the mirror before leaving to school, she thought to herself that she looked pretty.

When she walked into school, she saw Mike waiting for her at her locker and she felt nervous about whether or not he would notice her new wardrobe and makeup. She began to walk towards him, her hands clutching the straps of her backpack a little too tight as she got closer to him. 

“Hi, Mike,” she smiled, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. He stared at her, his mouth open a little, and it made her nervous. “Mike,” she asked, waving her hand in front of his face to zone him back in.

“I thought I was dreaming,” he said seriously, making her laugh and roll her eyes because honestly, her boyfriend was such a mouthbreather.

“You're ridiculous,” she laughed, pushing him aside gently so that she could open her locker and grab the books that she needed.

“I’m serious! You look so beautiful.”

“Sure,” she said, closing her locker and leaning back on the lockers to look at him. 

“Is that a new skirt,” he asked, putting one hand on the locker behind her, while the other traced the hem of it. The way he was looking down at her and the gentle touch of his fingertips sent a shiver through her back.

“It is,” she breathed.

“You look amazing.”

“I'm also wearing new lipgloss.”

“I noticed,” he whispered, leaning down closer to her, their eyes stuck on each other.

“It's strawberry flavored,” she whispered back, a strange feeling settling in her stomach.

“Are you trying to seduce me,” he teased jokingly, his mouth lingering over hers. 

But she didn't answer. She simply held onto the back of his neck and pulled him down so that their lips crashed onto each other. She didn't know what had come over her, over the both of them, but soon her hands were tangled in his hair and his hands were pulling her closer by the waist, and their lips were moving fast against each other. It wasn't until they heard a man’s voice yelling at them to stop that they both came up for air and realized what they had just done.

They had just kissed at school and it wasn't a quick kiss either. That much was evident by their flushed cheeks and their deep breaths. They turned around to see the man that had told them to stop was their principal, and a small crowd of students had gathered around the scene. There were wolf whistles and little comments of “get it, guys” and “way to go, Wheeler” as the principal stared at them with a stern expression on their face and told them to follow him to his office.

He had called Mike’s mom and Hopper to pick them up once they were in his office, seated in the chairs across his table. 

“I'm very surprised by the both of you,” he said. “Mr. Wheeler, you are an exemplary student, one I have never had issues with. And you, Miss Hopper, I hear are a very nice and quiet girl.”

“It was my fault,” Mike said in El’s defense. She didn't even have the nerve to look at him, simply playing with the hem of her skirt as she thought about how scared she was to confront Karen and Hopper. “We got a little carried away.”

“A little,” the principal scoffed, his arms crossed as he leaned back in his chair.

“It won't happen again, sir.”

The man looked at them both, as if he was going to say something but was interrupted when his secretary came in and announced that Karen and Joyce were there. The two women walked in, both of them wearing different looks of disapproval, with Karen looking more angry and Joyce looking more nervous.

Joyce explained how Hopper had gotten held up at work and asked her to go instead and the principal asked them to take a seat and explained the situation. He told them that he had seen Mike and El kissing heavily in the hallway and that it had attracted a crowd of students, although neither of them seemed to notice it. He then explained how the school had a strict PDA policy that limited students to only being allowed to hold hands and that they would have to be sent home for the day. 

Joyce looked like she couldn't believe what had happened, looking back and forth between the principal and El, before shaking the man’s hand and telling El to get her things so they could go. Karen tried telling the man that her son was not a delinquent, that he had never once been in trouble.

“No, he’s not a delinquent, Mrs. Wheeler. But he is a teenager and they seem to get...what did you say? ‘A little carried away’ sometimes,” the man said, looking at Mike and El, making them both turn a deep scarlet. “They can return to school tomorrow.”

Mike got up from his seat, trying to speed away from his mom and catch up with El, who still was trying not to look at him. She was so embarrassed.

With all the gossips in school, she knew that by then everyone had heard about what happened. And she had to explain everything to Hopper when she got home, and apologize to Karen.

“Are you okay,” Mike asked her, grabbing her by the shoulder and stopping her from walking. 

“I’ll wait for you outside. Okay, sweetie,” Joyce said, waiting for El to nod her head before she started to walk away. 

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Byers,” Mike called after her. “About all of this. It's my fault, and it won't happen again.”

“I have a feeling that's not true,” Joyce smiled. “But thank you.”

“I can't believe we got in trouble. I can't believe we did that,” El said, her voice shaky and feeling like she was going to cry. “Hopper is going to be so mad at me and your mom is going to hate me even more now and-.”

“Hey,” he stopped her. “It's okay. We're just going home for the day. I’ll explain everything to my mom and Joyce will probably calm Hopper down. We’re gonna be fine.”

She looked up at him as he wiped a small tear away from her eye and gave her a tiny smile. 

“Michael,” she heard behind him, seeing Karen standing with a piece of paper in her hand, her face still angry.

“I’m gonna go. I’ll call you later if I can, okay?”

El nodded her head, wanting to say something but was interrupted by Karen yelling at Mike that it was time to go, this time every louder. He quickly leaned down and kissed her cheek, before running towards his mom, who was staring at El with nothing but hate in her eyes.

She walked in the other direction, meeting Joyce in the front of the school so they could walk to her car together. Once they were inside, she looked over to El in the passenger seat with a smirk on her face.

“So how was it?”

_ “Joyce!” _

* * *

El and Holly had a special bond that surprised everyone. Although there was a nine year difference between the two girls, they both seemed to understand each other.

When El had come back, she found herself talking a lot with Holly. She didn't have to fear being embarrassed about not knowing things because neither did Holly. They simply talked to each other like regular people, colored and had tea parties. El had always been looked after for being younger than everyone else, so it felt nice to have someone who looked up to her for a change.

During the summer, Mike was away at a university participating in an engineering program, and it left El feeling sad and bored, waiting by the phone for a phone call or by the mailbox for a letter. It wasn't later until she realized that she also hadn't seen Holly in a while since she hadn't been over to Mike’s house, and so she left to visit the seven year old.

Karen was the one who opened the door when she arrived, a smile faltering as she saw it was El at the door.

“Hello, Eleven,” she said. “Mike isn't here, in case you haven't remembered.”

El forced a smile and answered back. “Hi, Mrs. Wheeler. I actually came to see Holly, actually. I was wondering if it'd be okay if I took her out for some ice cream.”

The woman seemed to consider this before inviting El inside and calling Holly to come downstairs. The blonde with the two pigtails raced towards El as she soon as she saw her.

“Ellie,” she giggled, running up to her and letting her pick her up and spin her around.

“Hey, Holly girl,” El laughed, holding her close. She hadn't realized how much she missed her. 

“Eleven wants to know if you want to go out with her for some ice cream,” Karen told her.

“I’m gonna go upstairs and put on shoes,” she squealed, jumping out of El’s arms and running up the steps to her room.

Karen and El were both quiet as they waited. Things between them had been a bit awkward since Mike and El had gotten in trouble at school a few months ago. She hadn't allowed Mike to go over to El’s house and every time El went over, they were only allowed to be in the basement or his bedroom if the boys were with them. 

“So have you talked to Mike,” Karen finally asked her.

“We've been writing each other,” she answered with a smile. “And we just talked on the phone a couple days ago. He was only allowed ten minutes.”

Karen slanted her eyes towards her and El suddenly felt like she said the wrong thing. 

“You mean to tell me that precious baby boy would rather talk to some girl than to the woman who birthed him?”

She felt her mouth dry and didn't know what to say, but thankfully, Holly came down the stairs saying that she was ready to go. El told Karen that she would bring Holly back soon and they left out the door.

“Thanks for saving me, kiddo,” El told Holly, helping her onto her bike before she got on her own so that they could ride to the ice cream shop.

“Mommy doesn't like you very much.”

El sighed. 

“I know.”

* * *

El was nervous being around so many Wheelers.

It was the beginning of August and Mike’s cousin was getting married. He had told El about it and had asked her if she wanted to be his date to the wedding, saying how he usually got bored at family events because everyone in his family was either a lot older or younger than he was.

Of course she had said yes, wanting to spend as much time with him as possible, but as she looked around at all the people, she was starting to regret it. Half of the people there, the ones who were tall with dark hair, were Mike’s family and those were the ones who she was being cautious around. Because although Nancy and Holly loved her, and Ted was indifferent, Karen still couldn't get around to actually be nice to her. She didn't know what she would do if another one of Mike’s family members disliked her.

“C’mon, let's go sit down,” Mike said, taking her hand and leading her to one of the white tablecloth cad tables that were all around the dance floor. The wedding was outside and there were tables all around the giant lawn of grass, except for the dance floor in the center made out of hardwood.

Nancy joined them eventually, deciding she'd rather sit with them than with the rest of her cousins and their boyfriends. And for the most part, El had a good time. The three of them ate the food and observed the other people, pausing momentarily every now and then because Nancy had a funny story to tell from college. It was during one of those stories, one involving a hungover frat boy in one of her 8 am classes, that a woman sat came up to them.

“Is that my Mikey,” she squealed, making him roll his eyes and El giggle.

“Hi, Aunt Bea,” he said, standing up from his chair to hug her.

“You've gotten so big! And so handsome,” she gushed, and El knew he was faking his smile. “This must be your friend, El. Your mom was saying you brought her along.”

“Girlfriend,” he said, reaching out his hand to El without taking his eyes from his aunt. She grabbed his hand and stood up next to him. “El is my girlfriend. We’ve almost been together a year.”

“Nice to meet you,” El said, smiling and extending her hand to his Aunt. She smiled back at her and took her hand, winking at her nephew.

“Well she sure is a pretty one.” El blushed as Mike wrapped an arm around her waist. “I was sure that Karen had said you two were just friends, but my apologies. I must have misunderstood.”

El felt Mike tense up next to her but she squeezed his hand in reassurance. They could talk about it later. 

“I’ll leave you two alone now. I just wanted to come and say hi. Hopefully I’ll see you two on the dance floor later,” Bea suggested.

“Definitely,” El said. “Mike loves to dance.”

He bumped her hip playfully with his for that one, and she had to swallow his laugh. Bea waved goodbye and El and Mike sat back down. Nancy was upset that she had been completely ignored, but the two teenagers couldn't sympathize with her. Had Karen honestly lied about El to the people there?

“Mike,” El asked him, his face still serious and his gaze somewhere else. “Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry about my mom,” he said suddenly, turning to look at her. “I...She has no reason to treat you the way she does and I’ve talked to her about and she promises...I just love you so much wish she did, too.”

El leaned over and hugged him, her perfect boy who she knew would never hurt her and made her heart ache in the best way possible.

“I love you,” she whispered. 

“You two are gross. I’m leaving,” Nancy said, putting her hands up in defeat before getting up from the table and walking away. It made them both laugh and lean away from each other. Their hands swung together between them and Mike suddenly got up.

“Where are you going,” El asked him. He grabbed her hands and pulled her up to him, his smile infectious.

“I’m going to introduce my girlfriend to the rest of my family.”

“Mike, no no no no no. That's not necessary,” she protested, trying to sit back down but ultimately being dragged away from the table. 

They went around greeting all of his family members, hand in hand. “Hi, Aunt or Uncle blah blah. This is my girlfriend, El,” he'd tell them all and they would all tell him that she was beautiful, as if she wasn't standing right next to him. They'd all talk to them both about school, about how long they'd been together, about whether they planned on dancing later. And then they would end the conversation with a “She’s a keeper, Mike” and there would be an indescribable feeling of pride and joy in her chest every time.

When they were done meeting everyone, she managed to drag him to the dance floor, draping her arms around his neck as they swayed together to a love song that the band was playing. In the corner of her eye, El saw Nancy and Holly standing with their parents at the edge of the floor watching them. She saw a blank stare on Karen’s face, the woman clutching her drink in her hand, but she didn't focus on it too much. El simply turned her attention back to her boyfriend and enjoyed their dance together and for a split second she allowed to dream about herself at her own future wedding, hopefully with Mike.

Karen didn't like her, but there were a lot of other people who did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i PROMISE this was supposed to be a short little chapter, i have no idea what happened. 
> 
> but in other news, THE TRAILER!!! i have been watching it nonstop since saturday and have watched literally every interview with the cast so that i could put theories together for this new season and let me tell you, i have a LOT of them (if you have any of your own and would like to share them, i invite you 100% to tell me in the comments so we can discuss lol)
> 
> and as always, reviews make me write faster and i always encourage prompts/ideas if you have any. hope you enjoyed this weird chapter :)


	5. promise rings are strange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "it means something you can't break-ever." (mike gives el a promise ring.)

_“Promise?”_

_“It means something you can't break- ever.”_

**February 1989**

Valentine's Day had been four days before, but Mike had used the excuse of a lot of homework and tests, to postpone celebrating with El. It’s not that he hadn’t done something for her the actual day of. He was a good boyfriend, the best according to El. When the fourteenth day of the month had come along he had bought El a dozen roses and drowned her in kisses and had even managed to get his mom’s help to bake her cookies. But he had been hesitating giving her the actual gift he had gotten for her.

The little black box weighed heavily in the front pocket of his jeans, or at least in his mind it did. Mike had arranged a picnic for them that Saturday evening by the lake, a perfect cool breeze accompanying them as the sun appeared to be preparing to go down. He had brought along the red and white checkered blanket that they always used on picnics and they were sitting on it, face to face.

They talked about school and their friends and El raved on and on about all the new books she had read lately. Mike tried to pay as much attention to her as he possibly could, his mind occupied by the thought of his gift to her. Maybe it was a bad idea after all. Maybe she would react badly to it. Maybe he should simply not mention it and return it-.

“Mike,” El said gently, pulling him out of his thoughts. He blushed as his eyes met hers, embarrassed that she had noticed he wasn't listening to her. “What's wrong?”

“N-nothing,” he stuttered, taking a bite out of one of the chocolate covered strawberries that he had packed. He tried to avoid her gaze again but she crawled over to him and raised his head up.

“Mike,” she whispered, her eyes looking a bit fearful. It caused a wave of guilt to overtake him and he knew that he had to tell her the truth, no matter what.

“I have a gift for you,” he told her, taking her hands in his. Her eyes immediately lit up as she smiled widely at him. His heart burst at the sight. He pulled his hand away from hers to grab the box from his jean pocket, his palms covering it before he slowly opened it to her to reveal what was inside.

It was a thin silver band with a small cubic zirconia cut into a heart shape sitting on the center. The stone looked like it was a diamond and shined brightly in the dimming sunshine. It honestly hadn't been that expensive, more of an impulse buy that was persuaded by months of thinking, but El was looking at it like it was the world’s greatest treasure. Her mouth was slightly opened, her eyes even wider.

“Is this a,” she asked, her voice sounding like it was about to crack.

“It's a promise ring,” he answered.

“What's the promise?”

She had a sly smile on her face but her eyes were brimming with tears. Mike laughed a bit before taking the ring out of the box and holding it in his fingers. He got closer to her, whispering as if it was a sort of secret.

“It's a promise that I love you, more than anyone. It's a promise that you're my best friend. And it's a promise that I will always be there for you.”

A tear ran across her cheek, and he reached up with his free hand to wipe it away with his thumb. He fought back tears of his own as he continued, his words choking. “I want to be with you forever, El. This is just my way of trying to show it, I guess. And umm, if you accept it, it's your way of saying you want that, too.”

She laughed, closing the short distance between them by wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling her to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, laughing along with her.

“I want to be with you forever,” she said into ear, the joy she felt oozing out of her voice.

“Really,” Mike asked, trying to contain his excitement. Because from the moment he had met her, he'd known that El was the only person he'd want to spend forever with. The fact that she apparently wanted the same, it was everything.

She pulled away from him and looked into his eyes, her hand over his racing heart. “Promise.”

Mike smiled back at her and took her left hand in his, slipping the band on her ring finger. She stared at it, her tears resuming once again as he looked from her hand back to Mike.

El laughed and threw herself onto him, making him fall backwards on the blanket as she laid on top of him. She pressed her lips onto his, and he smiled into the kiss right before she pulled away. She began to pepper kisses all over his face- his forehead, eyebrows, temples, cheeks, nose- causing him to giggle.

“I love you, Mike Wheeler,” she laughed, still continuing to kiss him.

“I love you, too,” he laughed, his voice breathless from the overwhelming feeling of happiness that only El was able to give him.

El, who wanted to be with him forever.

* * *

 

“Guys! Stop laughing!”

Mike stayed there staring at his friends, his face ablaze at the embarrassment from what Will had just told them.

It was Sunday afternoon and the boys were together working on homework in Mike’s basement, the four of them seated around the table usually reserved for D&D. After an hour of concentrated working, Will broke the silence.

“So, Mike, I heard a very big milestone happened in your relationship with El yesterday,” he commented, a quirked eyebrow directed towards him when Mike’s pencil slipped through his hand at the question.

“Oh,” Dustin said, his curiosity peaked at Will’s smirking face and Mike’s hardening blush. “And what would that be exactly?”

“Yeah, Mike,” Lucas added, always ready to tease him about his relationship. “Please tell the rest of the group what happened yesterday. We’d like to know.”

He knew that if he didn't answer his friends they'd keep bothering him. “I gave her a promise ring,” he told them, finding himself smiling at the memory of the previous day. It faltered then when Dustin and Lucas burst out laughing, Will giggling next to them. “What?”

“That's the most you thing you've ever done,” Lucas shouted.

“Oh, Michael! You've really outdone yourself this time in how much of a dork you could be,” Dustin nearly hollered.

“But that's not even the best part,” Will said, laughing a bit harder. “Yesterday when El got home, Hopper immediately saw it and he got so mad that Mike would even think about getting her a ring! He wanted her to take it off but El wouldn't. Then he said that next time he saw Mike, he was going to have ‘a talk’ with him.”

Mike felt his stomach drop as Will told him what happened, his face going pale right before turning red once again as his friends began to laugh even harder.

“Wheeler, you're a dead man!”

“Oh, God! I can't believe Mike is going to get killed for being a romantic!”

“I’d never seen Hopper so mad! I thought he was going to pop a neck vein!”

Mike slumped in his chair, his arms crossed in annoyance and anger at his friends for being so childish. The only reason they were laughing was because they had never been in love themselves, not the way he had. Lucas had had girlfriends come and go, Dustin had some flings that never turned into anything, and Will had had a boyfriend that didn't last very long.

Mike, on the other hand, had been in love with El since he was twelve years old. He had waited for her for almost a year, never losing faith she would come back to him. Now that they had officially been in a relationship together for more than two years, he knew more than ever that she was the one for him. They were all the proof he needed for his belief in soulmates.

His friends continued to laugh at his expense, theorizing out loud about how exactly Hopper would kill Mike the next time he saw him. It wasn't until El opened the basement door and walked in that they slowly began to calm down. She had been volunteering at the local library on weekends for the past few months, making it a habit of joining the boys on their weekend homework sessions after she was done there.

“Hi, Mike,” she smiled widely at him, quickly throwing her bag on the floor and closing the door behind her. She rushed over to him, sitting on his lap and pulling his cheek towards her lips so she could give him a kiss. “Hi, guys,” she said to the rest of the table, who were looking at the two of them with huge grins.

“Hello, El,” Dustin smiled. “I heard you had something to show us.”

“I do,” she squealed, stretching her left hand out to the table to proudly show off the ring. Dustin and Lucas took turns grabbing her hand in theirs, oo-ing and ah-ing in feigned excitement, much to El’s obliviousness.

“It sure is pretty,” Lucas told her, sneaking a wink at Mike, who in turn just hardened his grasp around El’s waist.

“Isn't Mike the sweetest boy you've ever met,” she asked them, turning her head back to look at him. He smiled back at her and she kissed his temple, causing him to blush much to her enjoyment.

“The sweetest,” Will laughed.

“Yeah, El.” Dustin pretended to sigh dreamily, putting his head in his hand. “Where did you manage to find such a boyfriend?”

“He found me,” she smiled earnestly, stroking Mike’s arms. He squeezed her tightly, pressing a kiss to her hair that she seemed to melt into.

Something in the way they acted around each other in that moment must have changed the way their friends saw them because their faces dropped right before coming back with soft, genuine smiles.

“We’re really happy for you guys,” Lucas told them, nodding at Mike so that he could understand he was being honest.

“So happy,” Dustin said, getting up from the table and walking across and spreading his arms wide to hug the both of them. Will and Lucas stood up and joined the group, all five reveling in pure joy and friendship, laughing and trying to hide their tears. “I’m so happy we found you in the rain instead of Will.”

_“Hey!”_

* * *

  
The first thing he heard before he walked into the classroom was the indistinguishable sound of teenage girls shrieking in excitement. It was a sound he had heard a hundred times before, especially Monday mornings during homeroom when the girls usually got together to gossip about their weekends. In the past, he'd heard them yell about Tom Cruise and new music videos and old boyfriends. Mike never would have thought the topic of conversation was him.

Yet, as he walked into the classroom he saw a group of about ten girls suddenly turn their heads to look at him. He stopped in his tracks and looked behind him just to make sure it wasn't anybody else. It was then though that he saw El at the center of it, sitting at her desk with a proud smile and her ring.

He slowly approached the group, his desk right next to El’s, and he slipped into his seat, a little afraid to say anything that would trigger the yelling again. The rest of the girls stared down at him though, and finally he couldn't resist.

“Yes,” he asked them, which was quickly met by the squeals of excitement.

“Who would have thought Michael Wheeler was such a romantic!”

“I wish my boyfriend was even half as devoted as you!”

“El Hopper is the luckiest girl in the whole world!”

They all seemed to yell over each other, Mike not knowing whether to focus on them, the rest of the boys in the class who had gathered in a corner with annoyance in their eyes, or El who was sitting right next to him and looking like she was trying hard not to laugh. Luckily, the teacher arrived and instructed everyone to quiet down and get their seats to work on whatever they wanted.

Mike thanked her quietly in his head and got out his notebook, ready to get ahead of calculus homework, when a folded piece of paper landed on his desk. He turned to El and saw her reading a book, a small smile tugging at her lips, and opened the note.

_I’m so sorry about all of that. Amy saw my ring and then started telling everyone about it. They all went crazy over it._

He wrote back and put the paper back on her desk.

**That was the scariest moment of my life.**

_I’m sorry!! Apparently you're the only good boyfriend in this town. They're desperate for romance. (I love you.)_

**(Yeah, you better after all of that chaos.)**

_(Forever. Promise.)_

* * *

  
“I love you more than anyone in the world.”

Mike turned his head to look at El, who had finally broken her silence. He was driving her home from school like always, but she had been unusually quiet since they'd driven away from the parking lot. Instead she had been twirling her ring around her finger and looking out of the window. He just guessed that she was exhausted from a full day of answering questions about the promise ring from girls all day.

“You know that, right,” she asked him.

Mike was at a red light and turned his full attention to her, making sure there were no other cars behind him before he put his car in park.

“Yeah, I love you, too,” he told her, taking her hand and intertwining their fingers. “I always have.”

“I just,” she huffed, “I don't want you to think that I love you any more because of this ring or anything- not that I don't! This is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done for me.”

“So…”

“So I love you. I would have wanted to be together with you forever with or without this ring. I just wanted you to know that.”

He leaned over and kissed her sweetly on the lips, her free hand tangling in his hair and pulling him closer. They got lost in each other, both completely forgetting where they were, until a car behind them started honking at them to leave now that the light was green.

Mike blushed and quickly withdrew from her, putting the car in drive and speeding away from the intersection. El threw her head back laughing, her arms holding onto her sides. He joined her laughing and began to slow down the car.

“You're my best friend,” she said in between bursts of laughter.

“You're mine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am SO sorry i was away for so long!! i start college again tomorrow so i don't even know when i'll be able to update again but hopefully i will soon (i really had missed you guys and writing these two little dorks)
> 
> i hope you liked this chapter!! i just wrote it all today and idk if it came out messy??? let's hope not!! xo


	6. dads are strange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim Hopper did not like him. (based off the headcanon that hopper is a very overprotective dad who hates that the wheeler boy is dating his daughter)

**1986-89**

He knew that Hopper didn't like him.

Mike couldn't really blame him, though. Not at first. He could only imagine how terrible he looked in his eyes. He was the terrible boy who only a few days ago had made his adopted daughter cry after screaming at her due to his stupidity and lack of communication.

When Mike went to visit El for the first time as her boyfriend, a few days after the dance, Hopper was the one who had opened the door to greet him. His slanted eyes, the crack of his knuckles, it sent a chill through Mike and made him suddenly hyper aware of his surroundings.

“Hi, Mr. Chief Hopper sir,” he said, mentally punching himself for sounding so stupid and mumbling his words.

“Pick a name kid,” he responded gruffly, taking a cigarette and lighter out of his pocket. He lit it and inhaled, never leaving his eyes off Mike. The smoke made him want to cough but he didn't want to seem disrespectful. Especially with how bad the interaction was already going.

“I’m here to see El, sir,” the last word coming out like a question. Guess he was going with “sir.”

“Listen, kid. I’m not really sure I want you to be dating my daughter after how much she cried over your punk ass-.”

“Dad!”

Mike felt a sigh of relief go through him when he heard El’s voice interrupt Hopper’s sentence. He felt like he was going to die, but in casual El fashion, she had saved him. She pushed past her dad and grabbed Mike’s hand, smiling at him apologetically, and pulling him inside the house.

“We’re going to do homework in my room,” she yelled back to Hopper, still guiding Mike through the hallway and into her room.

“Leave that door open,” Hopper yelled back, slamming the front door shut.

El rolled her eyes and closed the door half ways, finally turning back to Mike. She reached up on the tip of her toes and placed a small kiss on his cheek before falling back on her bed.

“Sorry about my dad,” she told him. “He's been so mad about us dating officially now. He thinks I'm too young to have a boyfriend.”

Mike rolled his eyes at that and went to lay down next to El. They were fifteen, sophomores in high school. He highly doubted that her dad’s issues had more to do with her age than with who she was dating.

Hopper didn't have any problems with him at first, when she was thirteen and came back to live with him, but as they grew up and the years went on, he noticed him grow more protective over El. He didn't let her go over to his house for sleepovers, whenever they went out they always had to have someone else with them, and he had even gotten her a bike of her own so that she wouldn't ride with him anymore.

El said that she imagined that's how all fathers were over their daughters- protective. But Hopper had no reason to be. Mike would never, ever want to hurt El. He loved her more than anyone else, if he hurt her...he didn't even like to think about the possibility.

Mike grabbed El’s hand and turned towards her, nuzzling her nose with his.

“Hopper hates me,” he whispered, trying to mask how much that bothered him. El noticed and leaned forward to leave a chaste kiss on his lips.

“You're so good, Mike Wheeler. He’ll learn to love you eventually, when he sees that.”

He nodded his head, looking at her dazzling brown eyes through his eyelashes and imagined never being able to see them again. Never getting to hold her hand like he was at that moment, never being able to stay with her in the quiet of her room, just admiring her, as his girlfriend.

He hoped she was right.

* * *

One of their favorite things to do together was watch movies. They would go to the video store in town and scour over the shelves filled with video tapes before finally agreeing on one to take home and watch together. El loved anything involving romance and Mike loved anything science fiction or comedy, but they usually found some meeting ground. After deciding on one, they would make a run to the store for junk food before going back to either one's house to cuddle together and watch the film.

Mike couldn’t lie though, he definitely liked it better when they went to his house instead of hers. When they went to his, they would escape into the basement and be alone together inside a blanket fort. When they went to hers, Hopper would always find a way to interfere.

On the day that they rented “Little Shop of Horrors”, a movie that they both had been anticipating, Hopper walked into the house and saw the young couple curled up together on the couch. El had her legs folded underneath her, her head rested on Mike’s shoulder and his arm around hers as they shared a blanket and a bowl of popcorn in between them.

“Hi, kids,” he greeted, a little loud and cheerfully, finally making them look at him. They had both been engrossed in the movie, Seymour discovering on screen that Audrey II thrived off human blood.

“Hi, sir,” Mike gulped, giving him a nervous smile and wave.

“Hi, Dad,” El said, quickly turning her attention back to the movie. Mike did the same, taking a handful of popcorn, putting some in his mouth and some in El’s when she opened her mouth towards his hand.  

“So what are you kids watching,” Hopper asked, walking towards the couch. Mike was about to answer when Hopper took the bowl of popcorn off of his lap and nudged El away to the side, settling down between the teenagers.

“Dad,” El gasped, her eyes wide and tone furious.

“What,” Hopper asked innocently. “I want to see this movie, too. As a matter of fact, Wheeler, why don’t you go up and rewind it so I can watch from the start.”

“Yes, sir,” Mike answered, hurriedly getting off the couch and walking toward the VCR player to rewind the tape.

“Mike, don’t listen to him,” El told him, but he continued to wait by the television. She turned her attention back to her dad. “Can you please leave? We wanted to enjoy this movie alone together.”

“Well why don’t we ask your boyfriend if he minds me staying,” Hopper told her, both of them turning their attention to Mike. He stood there, nervously looking from one person to the other as they both sat there staring at him to answer. Mike honestly didn’t know who he was more scared of, his girlfriend or her dad. On the one hand, he loved his girlfriend more than anyone else and always wanted her to be happy. They were honestly hoping to be alone together and there was also the fact that she could hurt him with a slant of her eyes if she wanted. But on the other hand, Hopper was the police chief and he already didn’t like him. Maybe if he went along with him, he’d start to accept him.

“I mean,” Mike started, scratching the back of his neck. “If he really wants to watch it, he should be able to stay.”

Hopper grinned at him, less of a friendly smile and more of a smug smirk. El simply slanted her eyes towards Mike as he pressed play on the VCR player and went back to sit on the couch.

“I love you,” he mouthed to her behind Hopper’s back.

“Traitor,” she mouthed back.

* * *

When El turned sixteen in the spring of 1987, Hopper decided to throw her a big party. It’d mostly been at the persuasion of Joyce, who insisted that she should be granted the American rite of passage, and so all of El’s friends had been enlisted to help make it happen.

All that day, Hopper and the boys had set up tables, chairs, and decorations, going out of their way to make the Hopper/Byer’s backyard the best it had ever looked. Mike especially felt the pressure since he one, wanted the day to be perfect for El and two, knew Hopper was watching him more closely than the other boys while they were preparing for the night.

When the sun started to go down, people from school and other adults started to show up for the party, armed with gifts and smiling as they took in the white linen clad tables and string lights that were hung over them and wrapped around trees. Jonathan was playing the role of DJ, playing song after song that filled the backyard with bright and happy music.

Mike had been waiting outside near the door that led to the backyard, waiting for El to finally come out and make her appearance. They had both been busy the entire day, only seeing each other briefly in the morning when he sang her “Happy Birthday” and she had been swept away by Nancy and Joyce to get her ready. When she finally did come out to the party, Mike was stunned.

El was wearing a strapless, lilac lace dress that fell almost to her ankles. Her hair, which reached to her shoulders, fell in soft brown waves that were pushed to the side. She looked ethereal stepping down the short steps to Mike, the lights surrounding them making her look like magic.

“Hey, beautiful,” he breathed when she reached him, grabbing her hand and twirling her around once. She laughed as he pulled her towards him, easily reaching her lips since the heels she was wearing added a few inches to her height. “Happy birthday,” he murmured against her lips, feeling her smile as she kissed him.

“This all looks amazing,” she told him, looking around at the party where some people were dancing and others sitting and eating. “Thank you.”

“It was your dad’s idea,” he started, looking around for the man but not seeing him anywhere.

“But I know you, and Dustin, Lucas, and Will helped set it all up,” she argued, grabbing him by the shirt collar and pulling him down for another kiss. “So thank you.”

He blushed then, almost forgetting about the birthday gift he had for her inside his pocket, but then remembering when she softly traced the freckles on his face. He grabbed her hand, pulling her away from all the people and taking her behind one of the trees, telling her he had something to give to her.

“A birthday present,” she asked cheekily, bouncing up and down on the soles of her feet as she waited for the gift.

“Close your eyes and put out your hands,” he told her. She quirked an eyebrow up at him confused, making him laugh at how adorable she looked. “C’mon,” he chuckled.

She rolled her eyes before closing them, sticking her hands out in front of her just like he said. Mike got the gift from his pocket, letting it fall gently into her hands.

“You can open your eyes now,” he whispered, looking carefully at her reaction. He smiled as she opened her eyes and looked down at her hands, an excited grin spreading across her face. It was a gold locket necklace in the shape of a heart, the delicate jewelry making El beam up at her boyfriend.

“It’s so pretty, Mike,” she whispered, holding the pendant in between her fingers, not even looking up at him.

“Open it,” he told her. She did and an excited gasp left her mouth. On the left side, the date they had met, “11.7.83,” had been engraved. On the right side, there was a picture of Mike’s yearbook picture, the one she adored so much because, as she had explained, each of his freckles were clearly visible and his eyes looked like they were smiling along with the rest of him. Mike had felt a little silly cutting the small picture and putting it into the locket, but he swallowed his embarrassment knowing that it would make El happy.

“Do you like it,” he asked her. She nodded her head quickly, finally looking up at him.

“I love it,” she laughed, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him down for a hug. “And I love you.” She drew away from him, still smiling and holding the necklace out to him. “Will you put it on me,” she asked.

“Of course,” he said. She turned her back towards him and he clasped the necklace around her neck, the pendant falling perfectly on her chest. El turned back to him, holding the heart in between her thumbs and staring up at him in the loving way that made Mike feel like the luckiest person alive.

He was about to lean down and kiss her once more when he heard someone walking towards them.

“What are you two doing away from the party,” Hopper questioned them, stepping closer to them and making Mike nervous enough to move away.

“Mike was giving me my birthday present,” El smiled, holding the pendant out for him to see. Hopper went over to her, leaning down to look at the locket, and then opening it up to see the inscription and Mike’s picture.

“You put a picture of yourself in here,” he scoffed at Mike, making the boy go red from embarrassment.

“It’s my favorite picture,” El stood up to him, closing the locket. “I love it.”

Hopper cracked his neck, this not bothering El, but making Mike nervous. She never seemed to be scared of him, but that was because he loved her. Mike knew well enough to know that he was in no way safe from Hopper’s wrath, should he choose to have any.

“Go to the party. You have guests waiting to see you,” he told her, shooting an angry look at Mike before walking away from them.

“Don’t let him get to you,” she tried reassuring Mike, interlacing their fingers and dragging him towards the rest of the people.

He tried to listen to her, but the entire night he kept feeling Hopper staring at him across the yard and it made it hard to concentrate on his beautiful birthday princess girlfriend.

If anything, _that_ was what Mike was so upset about that night.

* * *

He had made it a rule to never make out at her house. The rule had never been spoken out loud, but it was a quiet mantra he lived by since they had started dating. Mike knew that Will’s bedroom was right across the hall and he didn't want anything awkward to ever happen between them. He also knew that if Hopper was to ever find them, he'd be dead.

For two years, Mike abided to the rule perfectly. Then it all went to shit.

He was laying down with El in her bedroom, her head on his chest as he played with her hair. They were enjoying their last Saturday of summer vacation before going back to school to start their senior year. All day they'd spent it out shopping for clothes and stationary, and El had convinced him to buy her some magazines at the bookstore. The pair had then gone back to her house, exhausted after a full day, and were enjoying just being close together, listening to the hums of the radio and reading El’s magazines.

“Oh, Mike! There's a quiz called “Is he the one?”! Do you want to take it,” she giggled, looking up at him with a sparkle in her eye. She always made him take the cheesy quizzes that she found in them, finding it hilarious how he always answered the questions.

“Umm yes,” he said, in fake enthusiasm, making a popping sound with his mouth that made El burst in laughter.

“Question one: On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited do you get when you think about a future with them,” she read, staring up at him expectantly.

“Eleven,” he replied, a smirk forming on his lips as he awaited the inevitable smack to his chest that El always gave him when he said something dumb.

“Idiot,” she grumbled, making him laugh as he pulled her closer into his side. “Question two: Do you tell him every little secret? ’No way’ or ‘yes, they're my best friend’?”

“No way.”

“Mike,” she exclaimed.

“You know you're my best friend. Go on to the next question,” he poked her side, making her squirm.

“Question three: Are you the best version of yourself with them,” she asked. “‘I’ve been better’ or ‘the best?’”

He smiled down at her, leaning down to kiss her forehead and mumbled “the best” onto her skin. She reached her arm back behind her to run her fingers through his hair.

“One more question,” she said.

“I can't believe it only takes four questions to find out if you're the one.”

“Shut up,” she told him quickly, swallowing her laugh as he stared at her with a fake look of amazement. “Question four: How attracted are you to them? ‘Ice cold’ or ‘burning hot’?”

“Well right now, I’d say ‘ice cold,’” he answered, his tone playful.

“Are you sure about that,” she teased back, but there was something else hidden there. She sat up, his arm still around her waist, her face moving closer to his. Her breath was warm and her eyes went dark and hungry, something inside of him stirring.

“Burning hot,” he whispered, changing his answer, his eyes lingering on her gloss covered lips. She put her hand on the back of his neck, moving so close to him that she was practically on his lap.

“So are you the one,” he asked teasingly, moving his gaze back to her eyes.

“Mmhm,” she answered, her mouth grazing over his, the magazine thrown off the bed.

He managed to choked out a “Thank God” before crashing his lips onto her, closing his eyes and feeling her move on top of him. He grabbed onto her hips and turned them over, hovering over her as she sank back onto her pillows. She wrapped her legs around his torso, pulling him closer to him as she tugged on his hair. His hands all the meanwhile roamed her body while his mouth explored her lips, jaw, neck-.

“What the _hell_ is going on in here?!”

The two teenagers quickly pulled apart, Mike jumping a foot in the air and rolling over and off the bed. Hopper was standing in the doorway, face red and fists clenched so tightly that Mike was already imagining his impending death.

“W-we were just,” he choked out from his place on the floor, “I-I was just-.”

“Leaving,” Hopper said through gritted teeth, his voice in a low warning. “You were just leaving.”

“Yup. Totally. I was just about to say that,” squeaked Mike. He didn't even turn to look at El, who was protesting her father from her place on the bed. He just quickly grabbed his car keys off the dresser and his sneakers off the floor, running out of the room and outside to his car. He didn't even put them on when he got inside, simply turning the car on and speeding away before Hopper had the chance to hunt him down.

 _Rules, Michael,_ he told himself. _This is why we have rules._

* * *

“Hey, Wheeler!”

Mike stopped in his tracks at the angry sound of Hopper’s voice, slowly turning around to face him, even though he knew what he was about to be yelled at about. On Saturday, he had given El a promise ring that she proudly accepted, showing her left hand off to everyone who crossed her path. Unfortunately, that had included Hopper, who according to Will, had been _pissed_ about it.

He knew that he was going to catch him eventually and that the “talk” Hopper had warned of was inevitable, but he never thought it would happen so soon. Mike was simply dropping El off at her house after school, an almost daily routine, which never included running into Hopper. But of course, the universe liked to challenge him and so the man was waiting for him that Monday afternoon.

“Yes, sir,” he asked, trying not to sound so scared as he turned around to look at Hopper. He kept telling himself over and over again that he had done nothing wrong. He loved his girlfriend, he gave her a promise ring, that was okay.

“We need to talk about the little stunt you pulled on Saturday,” he said.

“Stunt?”

“The promise ring, Wheeler,” he yelled.

Mike gulped, trying to think of what he was going to say next very carefully. He took a deep breath and responded calmly, “No offense, sir, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with giving El a promise ring.”

Hopper stared at him, shocked and almost dumbfounded. His face was scrunched up and his face was beginning to boil, as he yelled question after question. “Don’t you think you’re a little too young to be promising “forevers” to each other? Did you stop to think how serious a promise ring is? How El will react if it ends up not working out between you two?”

He stayed silent for a while, answering in a quiet voice. “I would never-.”

“Speak up.”

“I would never hurt El,” Mike almost yelled, shocked at how loud he was but continuing. He had Hopper's full attention. “I know I have before and it kills me that I can’t take it back. But ever since she’s been my girlfriend, I have done everything I can to make her happy. Because she’s not just my girlfriend, she’s my best friend. And I want to spend as much time with her as I can, and if ‘forever’ is the most, then that’s what I’m going to promise.”

Hopper let out a dismissive laugh, crossing his arms in front of him and rolling his eyes, but Mike kept on. Something inside of him was lighting up, a courage he was taking advantage of.

“I’m eighteen, sir. She’s going to be eighteen soon, too. I know you love her and want to protect her, but so do I.”

Hopper finally looked back down at the teenager, his face softening in a way that even Mike noticed.

“The promise ring isn’t a- it wasn’t a joke. I intend to keep my promise to her, and to you.”

They were both quiet, staring at each other, until Hopper broke the moment.

“Are you going to give me a ring to back that up?”

“Do you really want me to,” Mike asked confused.

“Jesus, Wheeler. It was a joke.” Hopper massaged his temples with his fingers, making Mike feel embarrassed for a bit for not catching on.

“Why don’t you like me, sir,” he asked suddenly, making the man look at him.

“I like you, kid,” Hopper defended quietly, shrugging his shoulders, “It’s just that you…”

He didn’t finish his thought, looking back at the house where El was and then back to the ground. Mike felt like he knew what he was thinking. He understood the fear of losing someone he loved again. For Mike, it was El. For Hopper, it was the fear of losing another daughter.

“Thanks.” Mike gave him a tiny smile. “I like you, too.”

Hopper rolled his eyes, reaching over and patting him on the back. “You’re a good kid, Wheeler. Get out of here.”

He turned back to go inside the house and Mike began to walk towards his car, turning back to look at the man once more, who was staring back. He smiled as the man waved one last time before closing the door.

He thought Mike was good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!! i’m back sooner than expected lol
> 
> i managed to get ahead on homework and decided to write this little thing as a not-so sequel to “moms are strange” and also an anon suggested hopper talking to mike after the promise ring soooo here we are
> 
> i love writing protective dad! hopper and i hope y’all enjoyed reading this just as much :)


	7. fall is strange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Football games, candy apples, and piles of leaves: Mike and El fall-ing more in love with each other in autumn.

**1987-88**

El knew it was the beginning of the fall season when football games started once again. 

The cheerleaders would wear their uniforms to school and the boys would wear their football jerseys, turning the halls and classrooms into a sea of white and green. Lucas was among one the jersey wearing football players, deciding to join junior year and easily making the varsity team. That sent Mike, El, and Dustin to the bleachers near the football field to support their friend.

They would show up at every home game, quickly paying for their tickets and then making their way to the snack shack for food. Will had taken up a job working at concessions, a small gesture to help pay bills around the house, and would always smile when he saw his sister and friends come up to him. Dustin would stock up on chips, nachos, skittles, and soda, while Mike would buy some tri tip sandwiches for him and El. They both loved how the warm aluminum felt in their hands and the smell of the barbecue that would hit them right as they unwrapped it.

Hand in hand, they would walk up the bleachers, following Dustin who was always in charge of finding a place to sit. There wasn't much to do in Hawkins, so the high school football games were always packed with almost everyone in the community. Usually if there was room, they would sit at the very top of the bleachers, right under the announcement box, so that Dustin could request songs.

“Put on Madonna,” he would yell up to the men in there.

“How many times do we have to tell you kid! Madonna isn’t football game music,” they'd yell back.

“Dude, sit down,” Mike would scold, pulling him down by his hoodie and making him sit back down.

El, all the meanwhile, would be enthralled by the game, hardly taking her eyes off the action. Ever since Hopper had adopted her, she had watched football practically every Sunday night with him. He had explained to her the rules and objective of the game, and she had quickly caught on, screaming alongside him at the TV.

“Are you kidding me, Sinclair?! Run the damn ball or I’ll go down there and do it for you!”

She would be standing up, hands cupping her mouth and voice loud. People around them would stare, but El never seemed to notice.

“Aren't you going to tell her to sit down,” Dustin would ask Mike, clearly offended that apparently he was the only one not allowed to yell.

“No because it's cute when she does it,” Mike would say, staring up at her and laughing at how into the game she was. He didn't like football and honestly, he still wasn't completely sure why she did. But El being red faced and screaming insults at the top of her lungs was one of his favorite things in the world. 

“Are you sure you guys are the tigers?! Because right now you guys are just looking like a bunch of pus-.”

“Okay, no,” Mike would then finally interrupt, quickly standing up and wrapping his arm around her shoulder to bring her back down with him. He'd apologize to the people around them, giving them small smiles and trying to contain his blush, before turning his attention back to his girlfriend. “El, you can't scream those types of things, we’ll get kicked out.”

“Don't be so sensitive, Wheeler.” She'd roll her eyes at him and then take a final bite of her sandwich. “This is football.”

Dustin would chortle next to them, stuffing his face with more candy and pretending to watch the game, instead paying attention to the cheerleaders on the sidelines.

As the game went on, the weather would become colder with a crisp autumn night air that sent chills through them. Mike and El would take the blanket that they had packed in their backpack and take it out, wrapping it around their shoulders and huddling up together.

“You guys look like such nerds,” Dustin would say, laughing at them. Slowly though, he'd begin to get closer to them and eventually he’d extend the blanket so that it went around his shoulders and Mike would be in the middle.

The three of them would watch until the completion of the game together in that position, embarrassing blanket and all, cheering on Lucas and the rest of the team to victory.

* * *

 The first October weekend in Hawkins was always spent at the annual fall festival. Everyone in town would be buzzing around the booths, games, and carnival rides, enjoying the amount of fun in Hawkins that was exclusive only one weekend out of the year.

Mike took El for the first time as his girlfriend their junior year of high school, and somehow the small town affair seemed more magical to him. Maybe it was because the most beautiful girl in the world kept her hand interlaced with his and she looked up at him with rosy cheeks and bright eyes, but it all just seemed so much better.

When they walked in through the makeshift gate made out of haystacks, they were immediately engulfed by the smell of kettle corn. El rose her head up as she smelled the sweet and salty scent, dragging Mike along through the booths before she found the stand where they were selling the kettle corn. Mike immediately reached for his wallet, but El put her hand on his to stop him.

“On me,” she smiled, taking a five dollar bill out of her purse and purchasing the snack herself.

“Okay, but I’m buying caramel apples for us later,” Mike smiled, taking a handful of kettle corn and stuffing it into his mouth.

“Deal,” she agreed, grabbing his arm and putting it around her shoulder so that Mike would still be touching her but she could still grab and eat her food.

They walked around the festival together, looking at all the different vendors and games. El squealed every time she saw a cute prize tied up at the top of a game, making Mike nervous. He wasn't athletic in the slightest, not even able to throw something correctly at it's intended target. So seeing El get excited over prizes he mostly likely wouldn't be able to win for her made his stomach knot. Mike knew that El knew he was a dork and a nerd, but he still wanted to be the kind of boyfriend who could win his girlfriend a teddy bear. It was because of that that when El gasped particularly loud at a two-foot-tall pink teddy bear, he began to silently pray to the heavens for some help because damn it, he was going to win that bear for her.

In order to win it, he had to knock over a pyramid of milk jugs with a baseball. Every three tries cost five dollars and Mike quickly slid a bill over to the man in exchange for three baseballs.

“Mike, you don't have to do this,” El told him, standing to the side. Mike looked fairly concentrated on the stack of six milk jugs across from him.

“No. I want to win this for you,” he said. He threw the first ball, missing the stack completely. The next he threw bounced off the wall and flew back behind them towards the crowd, almost hitting a little kid. Mike went over and apologized as he grabbed it back and then went back to the game where he threw the last ball. It managed to knock the top one off, but that meant a small prize and no way was he going to let El leave with one of those.

“I want to play again,” he said, taking out another bill and giving it to the game operator.

“The bear is not important, Mike. I can live without it,” El tried to tell him. But Mike was far too busy attempting once again trying to win at the game. Again, he failed at his three attempts and again, he slid another five dollars to the man. El was looking tiredly at her boyfriend who apparently didn't know how to quit. It was cute that he wanted to win so badly for her, but she didn't want him to waste so much money on a rigged game.

Suddenly though, on his last attempt, he sent the ball flying through the pyramid, knocking every single milk jug down. Mike stared shockingly at the now empty table, El all the meanwhile looking shocked at him. The man rung the bell that meant he won and it sent them both out of their surprised state.

“I won,” Mike exclaimed, not even trying to feign how amazed he was at his own accomplishment. He turned to El, who was wearing the brightest smile on her face, and pulled her closer when a thought popped into his head. “You didn't do this, did you? You know, with your powers.”

“Mike,” she laughed, smacking his chest. “ _You_ won!”

The man asked them what prize he wanted and Mike pointed to the big pink teddy bear hanging from the top. The man returned with it and handed it to Mike.

“So I really did win this win for you,” Mike asked once again, just to make sure. He had never won anything in his life, at least not something that involved physical skill and he was still confused as to how he actually managed to win the game.

“Yeah,” she smiled, taking her hand up to his face, caressing it gently. “You won this for me.”

He felt a blush creep onto his face and he handed the bear out to her, which she accepted with open arms and into a tight hug. She smiled up at Mike again, reaching onto her tiptoes and kissing his cheek.

“Thank you for this,” she whispered.

“No big deal,” he shrugged, trying to keep a straight face but bursting into a fit of giggles when El stared blankly at him. She rolled her eyes and began to laugh too, the both of them continuing their walk through the festival.

When it was starting to get dark, the lights around them began to turn on and the entire place was transformed into an array of different neon yellows and oranges. Mike, as agreed upon, bought caramel apples for him and El and they found a bench to sit down and eat at, enjoying some local band that was playing at the stage a little farther away from them.

El had managed to rest her head on Mike's shoulder and he felt her breathing beginning to steady. When he looked down he saw that her eyes were slowly starting to drift closed.

“Want to go on the Ferris wheel before we go home,” he asked her gently. She opened her eyes and looked up at him sleepily, nodding her head and interlacing their fingers before they got up and headed towards the ride.

They had to put the bear on the other side of the cart, and they sat next to each other across from it. El and Mike grinned as they saw how beautiful everything looked from up where they were, especially with how clear the night sky was and how vibrant the lights below them were.

“Hawkins is so pretty,” El smiled dreamily, her head resting on her arms as she looked down below now that the ride had stopped them at the very top.

“You're the prettiest thing about it, though,” Mike said, hoping that El couldn't see how bad he was blushing with how dark it was up there. She turned to look at him and gave him a small smile before leaning in closer. He tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and let his hand rest on her cheek as he closed the gap between him. Her lips tasted like salt and caramel and he found himself smiling into the kiss. It was soft and sweet, only lasting a few moments before El began smiling against his lips, too.

“I love you, Mike Wheeler,” she whispered, her hand coming to rest on his cheek as she lightly traced her thumb back and forth across his freckles.

“I love you, El Hopper,” he whispered back.

* * *

 “Babe, stop moving!”

“It's just that you're so cute!”

“El!”

“Okay, okay! I’ll stop!”

Mike huffed in exasperation as he stared down at his girlfriend. She was sitting crossed legged at the foot of her bed and he stood in front of her, trying to perfectly part her hair in the middle with a comb. El, however, couldn't stay still, looking up every few seconds to look at her boyfriend, smiling at his adorable focused expression, his eyebrows slanted and his tongue sticking out.

Now that her hair had gotten longer, her brown curly locks reaching past her shoulders, she loved having it braided. And luckily for her, Mike had been basically forced to learn how to braid hair because of Nancy. She had long ago instructed a young eight year old Mike how to do different types of hairstyles so that she didn't have do them herself. And when Holly had come along, Karen had made Mike do the same to her once her hair began to grow, so his secret talent never went out of practice.  

It was a secret that had never left the Wheeler household but when El started complaining about her hair always getting in the way, he divulged it in her.

“But you have to promise not to tell anyone,” he had told her, his tone painfully serious even though El was bursting at the seams with giggles. If the guys ever found out, he would never hear the end of it.

“I promise,” she had swore, excitedly turning around so that he could play with her hair.

Ever since then, it was a secret routine for them in the fall and winter, El adoring her hair being kept in place despite windy weather. She would sit on her bed and Mike would sit behind her, brushing and then braiding her hair. El loved the way Mike’s fingers felt as he moved her curls into whatever complicated form he pleased. She would close her eyes and concentrate on his gentle touches, a content smile on her face as they sat there for minutes.

Mike moved behind El, grabbing a section of her hair and crossing pieces of hair, ones over and under others. She tried to stay still, singing along to the Simon & Garfunkel vinyl playing on the record player that Jonathan had passed down to her. She heard Mike sing quietly, too and she fought the urge to turn around and smile at him.

When he was done he had left her with Dutch pigtail braids, tying pink ribbons at the bottom of each of them to cover the elastic bands.

“Okay, beautiful,” he said to her, getting up from the bed and moving back around to the foot of the bed to see how his masterpiece looked from the front. He grabbed her chin in his hand and tilted her head from side to side, making sure it looked okay. “I think we're good.”

She smiled up at him and ran to her vanity’s mirror, staring in awe at how pretty her hair looked, running her hand over the crown of her head, down to the bottom of the braid, admiring the way it looked.

“It looks so nice, Mike,” she giggled, skipping back to him and dragging him down for a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” he blushed, grabbing one of her braids and messing with the ends it. As long as El was happy, that would always be enough for him. 

* * *

If it’s not supposed to rain that day, El and Mike walk home from school. They took the long route, the one near the train tracks, and hold hands in the chilly afternoon.

El likes the way the leaves sound crunching under her feet. Mike likes the way that El’s nose and cheeks turn pinker the more that they walk. El likes the way the trees look like they’ve been touched by a magic that made them orange. Mike likes the way that the wind blowing sounds like a secret whisper only for the two of them to hear.

“I want to jump in a big pile of leaves,” El said out loud once, her face turned toward the trees and trusting that Mike was paying attention to where they were going.

“Let’s go,” he said easily, tugging on her hand and walking them towards the leaves.

“Mike,” she laughed, trying to pull them back towards the tracks. “We have to go home. I have to study for Krasinski's test and make flashcards-.”

“You can waste five minutes.”

He let go of her hand then and crouched down towards the ground, starting to pick up leaves and making them into a pile. El stood from afar, arms crossed and seeing how her boyfriend was in no way going to stop anytime soon before he had a big enough pile for her to jump in. By the pace he was going at though, they were going to waste a lot more than five minutes.

With an outstretch of her arm, she began to make the leaves on the ground float. Soon there was a flurry of orange surrounding them as she gathered the leaves together and moved them towards Mike’s pile. He looked at her while she used her powers, smirking at how she was finally giving in. When she was done, she had left a gigantic pile of leaves ready for the both of them to jump in.

She smiled at him as she wiped her nose on the back of her flannel shirt. He walked towards her taking her hand in his again, and smiled down at her.

“That was amazing.”

“It was gonna take forever if I let you do it yourself,” she teased, giving his hand a squeeze when he rolled his eyes. He took his backpack off, putting it on the ground, and she did the same.

“Together,” she asked, nodding her head towards the pile.

“One,” he answered, beginning a countdown and turning his attention back to the leaves.

“Two.”

“Three!”

They ran towards the leaves, jumping a little off the ground and into the pile, making some of the leaves around start flying. They were all giggles as they landed, letting go of each other hands as they turned around on their backs. They began rolling around and grabbing leaves by the handfuls, throwing them up in the air and at each other.

Soon the whispers of the woods that Mike liked so much was replaced with the sound of El’s laughter, which Mike liked even more.

* * *

 When it begins to rain, El immediately grabs Mike’s hands and drags him outside with her. She loves to dance in the rain with him, feeling the hard downpour all over her as she spins and twists around. There isn't any music playing, the only melody in the air the sound of their laughter, but it's enough for them.

He grabs her by the waist and pulls her towards him, twirling them both around and causing El to burst into a fit of giggles. She holds him close to her and they begin to sway together, foreheads pressed together and eyes closed, simply feeling the raindrops fall on them and the loud hum of each other's heartbeats.

It's in those moments that she goes back to the rainy November night when he first met her. She thinks of the little girl she used to be, alone in the world without knowing what it was like to feel safe or loved. She thinks about how all that changed when Mike Wheeler, literally, came into her life as a bright light and showed her how wonderful life could be. She wonders if he thinks about that night in those moments, too but she never gets to ask him.

Karen at that point usually realizes that they've gone outside and she calls for them both at the door to go inside and take hot showers.

“You're both going to get sick,” she screams. “Come inside this instant.”

Mike and El open their eyes and stare at each other, small bashful smiles stuck on their faces. He holds her face in his hands and presses a soft kiss to her forehead before grabbing her hand and heading inside with her.

They take their shoes and socks off at the door and scurry upstairs to Mike’s bedroom. He gives her a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt to borrow and he grabs some for himself. She's always the first one to go shower and change into warm clothes, while he takes the time to start making some hot chocolate on the stovetop in the kitchen. Then they alternate and she finishes it while he goes and showers.

By the time he's out, she has the hot chocolate in two separate mugs for them, hers topped with whipped cream, his just with some marshmallows.

“Thank you,” he says brightly, taking his mug from her hand and kissing her empty hand. Her other hand is holding her own mug, the one that is specifically for her and is kept at the Wheeler house, yellow with a cute kitten printed on it.

She follows him to the couch and sits so that her back is against the armrest. Mike sits up briefly so that her feet are underneath his legs. He learned that her feet are always cold and so he always sits on them to warm them up, something she appreciates. He pulls the flannel blanket that is usually on the back of the couch over their bodies so that they're tucked in and warm.

They sit and drink their hot chocolate, talking to each other about whatever comes to their mind- school, movies, aliens (“ _Aliens can't be real, Michael!” “You literally have superpowers, El!”)_ -until their drinks are finished and they find themselves drifting off to sleep.

* * *

On Sunday’s, Mike always goes to pick up El after breakfast so that they can do homework together. He rides his bike over to her house and she gets on her own, their backpacks strapped to them, and go to the small coffee shop in the middle of town.

It’s a small brick walled building, owned by an elderly couple, and they discover that it’s their favorite place to read. There are big windows near every table that let in natural sunlight and there’s always slow music playing softly in the distance. The place smells like coffee and always feels comfortably warm, making the hours they spend there wonderful.

When they walk in, Mike immediately walks to the counter to order their drinks while El goes and saves their favorite table in the corner of the room with a window that shows the park outside across the street. Mike always gets white hot chocolate for himself, not particularly enjoying the taste of coffee, and a regular coffee with cream and three sugars for El, just the way she likes it.

When he goes back to sit down with their drinks, he finds that El has already covered half of the table in papers, textbooks, sticky notes and highlighters. He smiles at the mess, chuckling only slightly at how seriously she takes her studying, and begins to take his own things out of his backpack.

They only have two classes together, English and History, and so that’s the homework they work on at the same time. Mike excels in both subjects, all of them really, so El finds it comforting to do homework with him. Not that she isn’t smart enough on her own, but sometimes she doubts her thoughts and she needs Mike to reassure her.

They both read things differently, El having a color coded system where she highlights based on the kind of important information she finds- yellow for plot points, green for characterization, pink for quotes. Mike on the other hand only ever underlines sentences that he likes and writes clever commentary in the margins.

“Do you like Mr. Darcy,” El asks him, looking up at him when she finishes reading his first proposal to Elizabeth in _Pride and Prejudice_. He looks up at her and smiles, loving whenever she breaks the silence between them to talk about what they’re both reading.

“Yeah,” he answers, putting his book down and taking a sip of his hot chocolate. “I mean he’s pretentious and prideful and prejudiced, but he’s definitely still a good person. And he loves Lizzie so…”

“Then he shouldn’t be such a snob to her,” she critiques. He quirks an eyebrow at her and she quirks one back.

“Mr. Darcy is considered to be, like, the most romantic man in literary history. He’s the epitome of almost every girl’s ‘dream guy.’”

“He would _so_ not be considered my dream guy,” she scoffs.

“Oh yeah,” Mike teases, leaning across the table and grabbing her hand, playing with her fingers but never losing eye contact. “And who would be considered your dream guy?”

She leans back in her chair, a playful smile on her lips.

“Michael,” she breathes, taking a deep and dreamy sigh. He begins to blush but she finishes with, “J. Fox.”

“Hey,” he laughs, pretending to be offended and pulling his hand away from hers. Her head falls back while she laughs along with him. She leans across the table, grabbing his head in her hands and kissing him quickly even though she’s still laughing.

They continue to do their homework there for a few hours, only taking breaks to discuss more about the book, refill their drinks or steal private glances at one another when they think they aren’t paying attention.

But they always are.

* * *

Mike’s wardrobe always grows smaller in the fall time. His closet isn’t that packed to begin with, but he notices that as the weather gets colder, his closet grows thinner.

“But where do all of your sweaters go, Michael,” his mom yells at him, and he shrugs. But he knows exactly where they go, or who, more specifically, they go with.

El always manages to end up with most of them, she gives them back, and then the cycle repeats. She gets them when it’s chilly outside and he sees her shivering.

“Take my sweater,” he says, easily slipping it off and over his head, leaving him in only his long sleeve.

“No, you’ll be cold,” she hesitates, pushing it back towards him. But Mike puts the sweater on over her head and grabs her arms to pull them through the sleeves.

“There,” he says, rubbing her arms to warm them up. “Now you won’t freeze.”

Sometimes though she ends up with them simply by rummaging through his closet and picking the sweaters she likes. Cream colored pullovers with brown stripes, navy blue knitted sweaters, dark green turtlenecks- she loves them all. She runs her fingers through his clothes, picking out the one with the softest fabric, and holds it out to him by the hanger.

“Can I borrow this one,” she asks him, standing by the closet door while he sits at his bed reading a comic book.

“Yeah,” he smiles, looking up at her. “It’ll look better on you.”

She rolls her eyes and takes the sweater off of its hanger before slipping it onto her body. Mike is a lot taller than she is, and his clothes always fit her too big. His sweaters always reach past her spine, the sleeves always covering her hands, sometimes the material unintentionally slipping off of one shoulder. He never makes jokes about it, though. When he sees her in his sweaters, he blushes and thinks she’s adorable, which she is, and he gets slightly proud about the fact that she wants to wear his clothes.

She goes over to him and pulls him closer by the collar of his shirt for a kiss that’s meant to say “thank you.” And the next day, she always shows up to school in the sweater she just borrowed. Dustin always says something about it.

_"Hey, that sweater looks familiar! Oh, wait! Michael, don’t you have one just like it?”_

El always slaps his chest with the extra long sleeve of her sweater and he breaks out into a grin.

It’s this, El hitting Dustin with the sleeve of his sweater, that Mike always thinks of when his mom is yelling at him about having to take better care of his things. Because his mom screaming at him is brutal. But seeing his extremely cute girlfriend happily wearing his clothes to school and looking even cuter while hitting one of his best friends?

It makes it worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy first day of fall!! this is my absolute favorite season, from the warm drinks to the cozy clothes, tv shows coming back and good movies out in theaters, to halloween and my birthday. i just had to write my favorite kiddos in this season :)


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